News - Answers information people want to know, information they should know, or information they
need to know.
Mainstream Media - Answers television news programming that is expected to provide a fair and
unbiased presentation of facts, without any particular viewpoint.
Non-mainstream Media - Answers television news programming this expected to express a particular
point of view.
Tabloid Media - Answers television news programming that stretches and exaggerates facts by dealing
with sensational stories; generally considered more entertainment than news.
Hard News - Answers type of news story that contains information that viewers need to have
immediately; characterized by seriousness and timeliness.
Soft News - Answers type of news story that contains information viewers may find interesting, but not
necessarily information they need to know.
Evergreen - Answers a story that is appropriate to be broadcast at any time, regardless of season or time
of day.
IFB - Answers (interrupted feedback); a line of communication between the anchors and the producer in
the control room.
Reader - Answers a story, written by a reporter or anchor that does not have video to accompany the
story. The anchor simply reads the text on the teleprompter aloud for the viewing audience to hear.
VO - Answers (voiceover); a type of story that incorporates B-roll video rolled-in from the control room,
in addition to the script read by the anchor.
VO-SOT - Answers (voiceover-sound on tape); a type of story in which the audience sees B-roll video and
hears BOTH the anchor reading from the teleprompter and footage of a comment from a principal
player in the story.
SOT - Answers (sound on tape); footage of a principal player connected to a story, which includes
voice/audio that supports the story. Also called "sound bite."
Package - Answers a story that is about 1 1/2-2 minutes in length, contains its own intro and outro, is
edited, and can be inserted into a live program at any time the producer chooses.
Extended Package - Answers a 2-4 minute story that is shot and edited before a newscast and typically
provides more in-depth coverage of a specific story.
News Package - Answers a story that covers hard news/current events.