FBLA JOURNALISM UPDATED 2026 EXAM SCRIPT
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔Desk - ✔✔A term used by reporters to refer to the city editor's or copy editor's
position, as in "The desk wants this story by noon"
✔✔Editor - ✔✔The top-ranking individual in te news department of a newspaper, also
known as the editor-in-chief. The term may refer as well to those at any level who edit
copy
✔✔Editorial department - ✔✔Generally, the news department that is responsible for all
newspaper content except advertising. At some papers this term refers to the
department responsible for the editorial page only.
✔✔Editorialize - ✔✔To inject the reporter's or the newspaper's opinion into a news story
or headline. Most newspapers restrict opinion to analysis stories, columns and editorials
✔✔Facebook - ✔✔A social networking site that connects friends and acquaintances. It
also offers businesses, including news media, an opportunity to connect with
customers.
✔✔Fair comment and criticism - ✔✔Opinion delivered about the performance of anyone
in the public eye. Such opinion is legally protected as long as it is not malicious and
reporters do not misstate any of the facts on which it is based.
✔✔Freedom of Information Act - ✔✔A law passed in 1966 to make it easier to obtain
information from federal agencies. The law was amended in 1974 to improve access to
government records
✔✔Futures file - ✔✔A collection-filed according to date- of newspaper stories, letters,
notes and other information to remind editors about stories to assign. See also tickler
✔✔Gatekeeper - ✔✔An editor who determines what readers or viewers read, hear, and
see.
✔✔Graf - ✔✔A shortened form of paragraph, as in "Give me two grafs on that fire."
✔✔Graphics editors - ✔✔Usually, the editor responsible for all non photographic
illustrations in a newspaper, including information graphics, maps, and illustrations
✔✔Hard lead - ✔✔A lead that reports a new development or a newly discovered fact.
See also soft lead
, ✔✔Hard news - ✔✔Coverage of the actions of government or business; or the reporting
of an event, such as a crime, an accident, or a speech. The time element often is
important.
✔✔HTML - ✔✔Short for hypertext markup language, the coding language used to
create texts on the Web.
✔✔Hyperlink - ✔✔A connection between two places on the Web
✔✔Hyperlocal - ✔✔Information that is intensely local in its emphasis.
✔✔Hypertext - ✔✔A Web document coded in HTML
✔✔Information graphic - ✔✔A visual representation of data
✔✔Interest - ✔✔A measure of the cumulative effect of all the news values. The more
elements of the six news values that appear in the story, the more interesting that story
will be to readers
✔✔Invasion of Privacy - ✔✔Violation of a person's right to be left alone
✔✔Inverted pyramid - ✔✔The organization of a news story in which information is
arranged in descending order of importance
✔✔Investigative Reporting - ✔✔The pursuit of information that has been concealed,
such as evidence of wrongdoing
✔✔Lay out - ✔✔V. To prepare page drawings to indicate where stories and pictures are
to be placed in the newspaper; now done with design software.
✔✔Layout - ✔✔n. The completed page drawing, or page dummy
✔✔Lead - ✔✔The first paragraphy or first several paragraphs of a newspaper story
(sometimes spelled lede); the story given the best display on Page One; or a tip.
✔✔Libel - ✔✔Damage to a person's reputation caused by a false written statement that
brings the person into hatred, contempt or ridicule or injures his or her business or
occupational pursuit.
✔✔Media Fragmentation - ✔✔The impact of the internet and digital media on traditional
media, such as newspapers and broadcast television. The addition of many new
websites and social media divides or fragments the audience into smaller parts
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔Desk - ✔✔A term used by reporters to refer to the city editor's or copy editor's
position, as in "The desk wants this story by noon"
✔✔Editor - ✔✔The top-ranking individual in te news department of a newspaper, also
known as the editor-in-chief. The term may refer as well to those at any level who edit
copy
✔✔Editorial department - ✔✔Generally, the news department that is responsible for all
newspaper content except advertising. At some papers this term refers to the
department responsible for the editorial page only.
✔✔Editorialize - ✔✔To inject the reporter's or the newspaper's opinion into a news story
or headline. Most newspapers restrict opinion to analysis stories, columns and editorials
✔✔Facebook - ✔✔A social networking site that connects friends and acquaintances. It
also offers businesses, including news media, an opportunity to connect with
customers.
✔✔Fair comment and criticism - ✔✔Opinion delivered about the performance of anyone
in the public eye. Such opinion is legally protected as long as it is not malicious and
reporters do not misstate any of the facts on which it is based.
✔✔Freedom of Information Act - ✔✔A law passed in 1966 to make it easier to obtain
information from federal agencies. The law was amended in 1974 to improve access to
government records
✔✔Futures file - ✔✔A collection-filed according to date- of newspaper stories, letters,
notes and other information to remind editors about stories to assign. See also tickler
✔✔Gatekeeper - ✔✔An editor who determines what readers or viewers read, hear, and
see.
✔✔Graf - ✔✔A shortened form of paragraph, as in "Give me two grafs on that fire."
✔✔Graphics editors - ✔✔Usually, the editor responsible for all non photographic
illustrations in a newspaper, including information graphics, maps, and illustrations
✔✔Hard lead - ✔✔A lead that reports a new development or a newly discovered fact.
See also soft lead
, ✔✔Hard news - ✔✔Coverage of the actions of government or business; or the reporting
of an event, such as a crime, an accident, or a speech. The time element often is
important.
✔✔HTML - ✔✔Short for hypertext markup language, the coding language used to
create texts on the Web.
✔✔Hyperlink - ✔✔A connection between two places on the Web
✔✔Hyperlocal - ✔✔Information that is intensely local in its emphasis.
✔✔Hypertext - ✔✔A Web document coded in HTML
✔✔Information graphic - ✔✔A visual representation of data
✔✔Interest - ✔✔A measure of the cumulative effect of all the news values. The more
elements of the six news values that appear in the story, the more interesting that story
will be to readers
✔✔Invasion of Privacy - ✔✔Violation of a person's right to be left alone
✔✔Inverted pyramid - ✔✔The organization of a news story in which information is
arranged in descending order of importance
✔✔Investigative Reporting - ✔✔The pursuit of information that has been concealed,
such as evidence of wrongdoing
✔✔Lay out - ✔✔V. To prepare page drawings to indicate where stories and pictures are
to be placed in the newspaper; now done with design software.
✔✔Layout - ✔✔n. The completed page drawing, or page dummy
✔✔Lead - ✔✔The first paragraphy or first several paragraphs of a newspaper story
(sometimes spelled lede); the story given the best display on Page One; or a tip.
✔✔Libel - ✔✔Damage to a person's reputation caused by a false written statement that
brings the person into hatred, contempt or ridicule or injures his or her business or
occupational pursuit.
✔✔Media Fragmentation - ✔✔The impact of the internet and digital media on traditional
media, such as newspapers and broadcast television. The addition of many new
websites and social media divides or fragments the audience into smaller parts
