O

Ofcom - Broadcasting industry regulator.

Off diary - An unscheduled or unpredicted story.

Off the record - Information that must not be disclosed.

On diary - Scheduled story.

On spec - Article that is written ‘just in-case’, but it will only be used if needed.

On the record - Information given by a source that can be used in an article.

Op-ed - A feature, usually by a prominent journalist, presenting an opinionated story.

Orphan - First line of a paragraph appearing on the last line of a column of text. Normally avoided.

P

PACT - Industry body representing independent cinema and tv producers.

Pay-per-view - A single programme that the viewer has to pay for.

Pay TV - Paid subscription service for TV.

PDA - Personal Digital Assistant. A hand-held computer combining a phone, organiser and web client.

Photoblogging - Contributing photos to a blog.

Photoshop - (noun) Computer program used to edit photographs.

Pitch - Story idea sent to an editor by a reporter.

Pixel - An on-screen measurement. Most monitors display around 1024 pixels wide by 768 pixels high.

Podcasts - MP3 audio recordings that can automatically download to a user’s computer as soon as they are published online.

Point size - Size of the type face.

Pop-under/pop-behind - A web advert that opens under the browser window.

Pop-up - A web advert that pops up on screen. These are commonly blocked with a pop-up blocker.

Post - To add a comment to a blog.

Pork - Material held for later use, if needed.

PPA - Periodical Publishers Association. Industry body representing UK magazine publishers.

Portal - A busy site often used as a starting point online through services such as messaging, news and searches.

Proof - Copy of a laid-out page ready to be corrected.

Prosumer - Marketing term used to describe professional consumers.

Puff piece - A news story with editorialised, complimentary statements.

Pulldown - Web text that is activated by a down arrow on a web menu.

Pull-out quote - Selected quote from a story highlighted next to the main text. Often used in interviews.

Q

QuarkXPress - Desktop publishing program.

Quote - Record of what a source or interviewee has said.

R

Radio spectrum - Total capacity of radio frequencies that can be received.

Rate card - A list of advertising rates provided by a publisher.

Recto - Right-hand page.

Redletter - Exclusive, breaking news coverage of a major news event, printed in red type.

Reporter - Someone who writes and researches news stories.

Reporters without borders - An organisation founded in 1985 that fights for press freedom around the world.

Retraction - A withdrawal of a previously-published story or fact.

Revision - A re-written or improved story, often with additional quotes or facts.

Rich media - Artwork formats such as Flash, Java and DHTML that allow interactive or multimedia content.

Roadblock - The sale of all the adverts on your home page to one advertiser.

Run - To publish a story.

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A Man Would Do Nothing,
If He Waited Until He
Could Do It So Well
That No One Would Find Fault
With What He Has Done.