Journalism lingo - a guide

I'd start with -30- but don't want to end this thread.

I really wish I still had one of my old pica poles, although I'll bet there's one in my condo somewhere.

Young people don't know what "budgets" are? Surprised at that, but such is the passage of life.

At the L.A. Times, they call agate "ruby," and I could give a ham-handed explanation as to why, but somebody can probably do it better.

I've worked with two different kinds of slots. At some places, the slot is the person who lays out the paper. At some, it's the person who is the final read on things and sends them to be typeset (that's sometimes the chief; at the Miami Herald, that person is the RO).

I was thinking about the old AP machines the other day on the anniversary of Elvis' death. In Beloit, Wis., on that day in 1977 was the first time I heard "stop the presses" yelled for a real reason.

 

I still get asked if I've ever yelled "Stop the Presses!" I have, but what nobody seems to realize is that very rarely do you yell that for breaking news. More likely, someone screwed up so badly that you need to stop to fix it.
I heard someone refer to copy editors once as "rim rats." I still throw that term around from time to time.
And at one point in college, I said, "I love this business. I can tell women, 'I've got 15 inches for you!'" One of my co-workers (and a dear friend, who wouldn't know from personal experience) cracked, "Yeah, this is the ONLY place you can say that!"

 

Is "wild art" still used for photos that stand alone from any story?

 

Heck, "art" is pretty much a publishing term, too, right? Everybody else calls it "pictures" or "photos."

 

"We'll chase this page after deadline" does not mean it will sprout legs and run away and you have to go get it.

 

My last place used to use that term ALL the time. Of course, there was always at least one in the paper every day. Mainly because the metro editor wasn't very good at planning budgets.

That editor is still there, so I'm sure they still use the term.

 

Ever "railroad" something??

 

Is that like running a train? If so, no.

 

This was an older guy who had done PR but had been in our news room for at least four years. I guess the other editor's used a different term.

How about putting a piece in the bank?

 

I still use 'backread' and 'ungot' a lot.

 

and "staff adjustment"

 

It means to highly-prioritize a specific story or task . . . don't let anything else get in the way, it's comin' through..