WBCHSE Journalism flashcards
WBCHSE Journalism · Build recall with a focused review session.
36 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Mass communication
- The transmission of messages from a single source to a large, dispersed and anonymous audience through a technological medium such as print, radio, television or the internet.
- Lasswell's model
- A 1948 formula describing communication as who says what, in which channel, to whom, with what effect. It identifies communicator, message, medium, receiver and effect.
- Agenda-setting theory
- McCombs and Shaw's 1972 finding that media coverage determines which issues audiences regard as important, telling people what to think about rather than what to think.
- Gatekeeping
- The process by which editors and reporters select, reshape or reject information before publication, controlling what reaches the audience. The concept derives from Kurt Lewin's research.
- Social responsibility theory
- One of the four normative press theories, holding that media are free but obliged to serve the public interest, maintain standards and allow access and reply.
- Bengal Gazette
- James Augustus Hicky's weekly launched in Calcutta in 1780, generally regarded as the first newspaper printed in India; it criticised East India Company officials.
- Vernacular Press Act 1878
- Legislation by Lord Lytton that imposed restrictions and securities on Indian-language newspapers, exempting English papers. Amrita Bazar Patrika escaped it by switching to English.
- Sambad Kaumudi
- A Bengali weekly started by Raja Rammohan Roy in 1821, used to promote social reform and debate, and one of the earliest Indian-language newspapers.
- Amrita Bazar Patrika
- A nationalist newspaper founded in 1868 by Sisir Kumar Ghosh, first published in Bengali from Jessore and later from Calcutta, becoming a leading anti-colonial voice.
- Press Council of India
- A statutory quasi-judicial body set up in 1966 under the Press Council Act to preserve press freedom and uphold standards; it can censure but not punish.
- News values
- Criteria journalists use to judge newsworthiness, including timeliness, proximity, prominence, consequence, novelty, conflict and human interest, as identified by Galtung and Ruge.
- Inverted pyramid
- A news-writing structure placing the most important facts in the lead, followed by details in descending order of importance, so the story can be cut from the bottom.
- Off the record
- An agreement that information given to a journalist will not be published or attributed in any form, protecting the source but limiting how the material can be used.
- Nut graf
- The paragraph, usually after the lead, that states why the story matters now and summarises its central point, common in features and long-form reporting.
- RTI Act 2005
- A law giving citizens the right to seek information from public authorities within a fixed time, with exemptions listed in Section 8; widely used by reporters.
- Hard news
- Coverage of timely, consequential events such as politics, crime, disasters and policy, usually written in inverted-pyramid form with a fact-based lead.
- Kicker headline
- A short line printed above the main headline to set the tone or identify a series; it is smaller in size than the main headline.
- Stet
- A proofreading instruction meaning 'let it stand', cancelling an earlier correction and telling the compositor to keep the original text.
- Style sheet
- A newsroom's standard reference fixing spelling, numerals, titles, abbreviations and punctuation so that all copy in the publication is consistent.
- Standfirst
- A short introductory paragraph printed below a headline, usually in a feature, that summarises or sets up the article for the reader.
- Caption credit
- A line identifying the photographer or agency responsible for a published photograph, required for legal and ethical reasons and usually placed at the end of the caption.
- Sound bite
- A short, striking extract from an interviewee's speech used in a broadcast news package, typically eight to twelve seconds long.
- Reverse image search
- A verification technique that uploads an image to a search engine to find earlier or original versions, helping detect recycled or manipulated user-generated content.
- Prasar Bharati
- An autonomous corporation established in 1990 that manages All India Radio and Doordarshan, intended to insulate public broadcasting from direct government control.
- Paywall
- A system on a news website that restricts access to some or all content to paying subscribers, often using a metered model allowing a few free articles.
- SEO headline
- A headline written to include likely search keywords and remain readable, improving a story's ranking in search results and its organic traffic.
- AIDA model
- A classic advertising model describing the sequence a persuasive advertisement should create in a consumer: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.
- Press release
- A written announcement issued by an organisation to media, structured with a headline, dateline, lead, quotes and boilerplate, aiming to earn free coverage.
- Boilerplate
- A standard, reusable paragraph at the end of a press release describing the issuing organisation, its business and its contact details.
- GRP
- Gross Rating Point, a media-planning measure of advertising weight calculated as reach percentage multiplied by average frequency of exposure in a campaign.
- Defamation
- A published statement that lowers a person's reputation in the eyes of others; truth, fair comment, privilege and consent are recognised defences.
- Article 19(2)
- The constitutional clause permitting reasonable restrictions on free speech on grounds including security of the state, public order, decency, morality and contempt of court.
- Sub judice
- Matter under judicial consideration; reporting that could prejudice an ongoing trial may amount to contempt of court and is restricted.
- Paid news
- Content published as news in return for payment or favours, without disclosure; it is an unethical practice censured by the Press Council of India.
- Dummy page
- A mock layout of a newspaper page showing columns, headlines, photographs and advertisements, used to plan the final printed page.
- Byline
- The line naming the reporter who wrote the story, usually placed under the headline or lead, and sometimes including the date and place.