News Writing Part 24

First Anniversary Finds Little Change in Relative Strength of the Two Opposing Forces.

=h.e.l.l-box.=--The box into which waste lead is thrown for remelting in the stereotyping room.

=Hold.=--An instruction written at the beginning of copy or proof, instructing the make-up man in the printing room to hold the article, not print it, until he has received further orders.

=Human Interest Story.=--See _Feature Story_.

=I.N.S.=--Abbreviation for International News Service.

=Insert.=--One or more sentences or paragraphs inserted in the body of a story already written, giving fuller or more accurate information.

=Jump-head.=--A headline put above the continuation of a story begun on a preceding page.

=Justifier.=--A short story of little or no news value inserted at the foot of a column to fill it out evenly.

=Justify.=--To make even or true by proper s.p.a.cing, as lines of type or columns on a page.

=Kill.=--To destroy the whole or a part of a story, usually after it has been set in type.

=Lead.=--The initial sentence or paragraph of a story, into which is crammed the gist of the article. See page 68.

=Lead.=--Thin strips of metal placed between lines of type to make the lines stand farther apart, and hence to make the story stand out more prominently on the printed page.

=Lower Case.=--(1) A shallow wooden receptacle divided into compartments called boxes, for keeping separate the small letters of a font of type; distinguished from the _upper case_ which stands slantingly above the lower case and contains the capital letters; hence (2) the letters in that case.

=Make-up.=--The arrangement of type into columns and pages preparatory to printing.

=Make-up Man.=--The workman who arranges composed type in forms preparatory to printing.

=Morgue.=--The filing cabinet or room in which are kept stories and obituaries of prominent persons, photographs of them, their families, and their homes, clippings of various kinds about disasters, religious a.s.sociations, big conventions, strikes, wars, etc. See page 9.

=Must.=--A direction put on the margin of copy to indicate that the story must be printed.

=Pi.=--Type that has been so jumbled or disarranged that it cannot be used until rea.s.sembled.

=Pi Line.=--A freak line set up by a compositor when he has made an error in the line and completed it by striking the keys at random until he has filled out the measure and cast the slug: ETAOINS

=Play Up.=--To emphasize by writing about with unusual fullness.

=Police Blotter.=--See _Blotter_.

=Pony Report.=--A condensed report of the day's news, sent out by news bureaus to papers that are not able or do not care to subscribe for the full service.

=Proof-reader.=--One whose time is given to reading and making corrections in the printer's proof; not to be confused with _Copy-reader_.

=Prove.=--To take a proof of or from.

=Pull.=--To make an impression on a hand-press: as, to _pull_ a proof.

=Pyramid Head.=--A heading of three, four, or five lines,--usually of three,--the first of which is full, the second indented at both sides, the third still more indented at both sides, all the lines being centered. See _Head_.

=Query.=--A telegraphic request to a paper for instructions on a story that a correspondent wishes to send. See page 240.

=Quoins.=--Wedges used for fastening or locking type in a galley or a form.

=Release.=--To permit publication of a story on or after a specified date, but not before. See page 54.

=Revise.=--A corrected proof.

=Rewrite.=--A story rewritten from another paper. See page 218.

=Rewrite Man.=--A reporter who rewrites telegraphic, cable, and telephone stories, or who rewrites poor copy submitted by other reporters. See page 219.

=Run.=--See _Beat_ (1).

=Run-in.=--To omit paragraph indentions for the sake of saving s.p.a.ce.

=Running Story.=--A story which develops as the day advances, or from day to day.

=Scoop.=--Publication of an important story in advance of rival papers; also called a _beat_.

=Sheets.=--See _Arrest Sheets_.

=Slips.=--Slips of paper hung on the police bulletin board or pasted in a public ledger, announcing such crimes, misdemeanors, complaints, and the like as the police are willing to make public. See page 35.

=Slug.=--(1) A solid line of type set by a linotype machine. (2) A strip of type metal thicker than a lead and less than type high, for widening s.p.a.ces between lines, supporting the foot of a column, etc. (3) A strip of metal bearing a type-high number inserted by a compositor at the beginning of a take to mark the type set by him. (4) The compositor who set the type marked by a slug. See also _Catch Line_ (2).

=Solid.=--Having no leads between the lines: as, a _solid_ column of type.

=s.p.a.ce Book.=--A book in which the state editor keeps a record of stories sent in by correspondents and s.p.a.ce writers.

=s.p.a.ce Writer.=--A writer who is paid for his stories according to the amount of s.p.a.ce they occupy when printed.

=Special.=--A story written by a special correspondent, usually one out of town.

=Stick.=--(1) A small metal tray holding approximately two inches of type, used by printers in setting type by hand. (2) The amount of type held by a stick.

=Stone.=--A smooth table top, once of stone, now usually of metal, on which the page forms are made up.

=Story.=--(1) Any article, other than an editorial or an advertis.e.m.e.nt, written for a newspaper. (2) The event about which the story is written: as, a burglar story, meaning the burglary that the reporter writes up.

=Streamer Head.=--A head set in large type and extending across the top of the page.

=String.=--A strip of clipped stories pasted together end to end to indicate the number of columns contributed by a s.p.a.ce writer.

=Style Book.=--The printed book of rules followed by reporters, copy-readers, and compositors. See page 249.

=Take.=--The portion of copy taken at once by a compositor for setting up. See page 13.