Journalism Vocabulary Worksheet

Press Print worksheet to match twelve journalism terms, from headline and byline to source and deadline, to their meanings.

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Journalism vocabularyjournalismheadlinebylineleadcaptionsourcedeadlineeditorreporterquotedatelineinterviewthe person who decides whichstories are printedthe opening lines of a report,holding its main pointsomeone paid to find out whathappened and tell itthe craft of finding the news andmaking it publicthe writer's name as printed withhis or her articlea note opening a report that tellsits place and daythe short text with a photo thatsays what it showswords in big letters that top astory and sum it upa meeting set up so a journalistcan question someonea person or document that astory's facts come froma speaker's own words, set downin a story unchangedthe latest moment at which astory may be turned in
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Journalism vocabularyAnswer keyjournalismheadlinebylineleadcaptionsourcedeadlineeditorreporterquotedatelineinterviewthe person who decides whichstories are printedthe opening lines of a report,holding its main pointsomeone paid to find out whathappened and tell itthe craft of finding the news andmaking it publicthe writer's name as printed withhis or her articlea note opening a report that tellsits place and daythe short text with a photo thatsays what it showswords in big letters that top astory and sum it upa meeting set up so a journalistcan question someonea person or document that astory's facts come froma speaker's own words, set downin a story unchangedthe latest moment at which astory may be turned in
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All 36 terms

A news story 12

  • byline The writer's name as printed with his or her article. "Her byline sat just under the title for the first time."
  • caption The short text with a photo that says what it shows. "The caption named the three students in the photo."
  • dateline A note opening a report that tells its place and day. "The dateline showed that the report came from Chicago."
  • deadline The latest moment at which a story may be turned in. "The deadline for the sports page was nine o'clock."
  • editor The person who decides which stories are printed. "The editor cut two paragraphs so the article would fit."
  • headline Words in big letters that top a story and sum it up. "The headline read: Library to Open on Sundays."
  • interview A meeting set up so a journalist can question someone. "She recorded the interview so she could check every word."
  • journalism The craft of finding the news and making it public. "She joined the school paper to learn journalism."
  • lead The opening lines of a report, holding its main point. "His lead said who had won, where and by how much." Newsrooms also spell it lede.
  • quote A speaker's own words, set down in a story unchanged. "The story ended with a quote from the winning runner."
  • reporter Someone paid to find out what happened and tell it. "A reporter waited outside the meeting with a notebook."
  • source A person or document that a story's facts come from. "The coach was her source for the piece about the new field."
Show all 36 terms (24 more)

In the newspaper 12

  • broadsheet A newspaper in the largest format, with long, tall pages. "He folded the broadsheet in half to read it on the train."
  • column A piece that the same writer contributes to every issue. "Her column about city gardens runs every Saturday."
  • columnist A journalist who has a regular spot in the paper. "The columnist answered three letters from readers."
  • editorial An article giving the view of the paper's own editors. "The editorial called for more buses on school days."
  • feature A longer article on one subject, not the day's news. "The weekend feature told the story of the town's oldest bakery."
  • front page The first sheet a reader sees, carrying the biggest news. "The storm was on the front page the next morning."
  • masthead The paper's name atop page one, or its list of staff. "The masthead has not changed its lettering in fifty years."
  • newsroom The office where reporters and editors put a paper together. "The newsroom grew quiet once the last page had gone to print."
  • photojournalist Someone who reports the news chiefly through photographs. "The photojournalist spent a week with the rescue crew."
  • review A critic's written opinion of a new book, film or show. "The review praised the play but not the music."
  • section A named part of a paper, such as sports or business. "He always turns to the sports section first."
  • tabloid A half-size newspaper with many photos and brief stories. "The tabloid ran a full-page photo of the parade."

Reporting fairly 12

  • anonymous With the person's name kept secret or not known. "The tip came from an anonymous caller."
  • attribution Stating who said or supplied a piece of information. "Without attribution, readers cannot tell where the number came from."
  • breaking news Reports of an event that is going on or only just over. "The program stopped for breaking news about the bridge."
  • eyewitness Someone present at an event who watched it happen. "An eyewitness told the paper what the sky looked like."
  • fact-check To test every claim in a text to see whether it is true. "Two people fact-check every article before it runs."
  • libel A printed falsehood that harms a person's good name. "The paper checked the claim twice, since printing a lie about him would be libel."
  • objective Resting on facts, with the writer's own views kept out. "An objective report gives both teams' side of the match."
  • plagiarism Using someone's writing as if you had made it yourself. "Copying the paragraph without naming its writer was plagiarism."
  • press conference A gathering of journalists to hear and question a speaker. "The coach held a press conference after the final."
  • press release A written statement given out to the news media. "The museum sent a press release about its new wing."
  • retraction A printed statement that takes back an earlier report. "The paper ran a retraction the day after the mistake."
  • scoop A story one paper gets out ahead of all its rivals. "The student paper had a scoop: the name of the new principal."

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-12. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day in two dictionaries: the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and the entry in the Cambridge Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/). Lead was read in the second dictionary under lede. Masthead has two senses in both, the paper's title on its front page and its printed list of staff, and the sheet gives both. Column, feature, review, scoop, source and section were read in their newspaper senses. The answers under the list rest on the articles Op-ed, Editorial, Masthead (American publishing), Nameplate (publishing), Tabloid (newspaper format), Broadsheet and Defamation of English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. The sentence in quotation marks after each meaning is our own. Licence: own work

How it works

This journalism vocabulary worksheet prints twelve terms down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. It opens on news story words such as headline, byline and lead. Two more sets cover the newspaper and fair reporting.

Read the full guide

Journalism words for a news story

Set opens on A news story: journalism, headline, byline, lead, caption, source, deadline, editor, reporter, quote, dateline and interview.

Newspaper and reporting words

In the newspaper prints front page, masthead, column, columnist, editorial, feature, review, section, tabloid, broadsheet, newsroom and photojournalist. Reporting fairly has fact-check, objective, attribution, anonymous, libel, plagiarism, scoop, breaking news, eyewitness, press release, press conference and retraction. Under the tool each term has a sentence that uses it, such as "The tip came from an anonymous caller."

Questions and answers

What is the difference between an editorial and an op-ed?

An editorial gives the opinion of the publication's own editors. An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is an opinion piece that often comes from an outside contributor and is distinct from what the editorial board writes.

What is a masthead in a newspaper?

In American usage it is the printed list of a publication's owners, departments, officers and contributors, found in the same place in each edition. In British English it is the paper's designed title on the front page, which Americans call the nameplate.

What is the difference between a tabloid and a broadsheet?

They are two newspaper formats. A broadsheet is the largest, with long vertical pages; a tabloid is compact and smaller. Tabloid is also the name of a style of journalism that leans on sensational stories.

What is the difference between libel and slander?

Both are defamation, a statement that injures someone's reputation. The law has traditionally called it libel when it is written, printed or published, and slander when it is spoken.

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