FBLA JOURNALISM EXAM STUDY GUIDE 2025/2026
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS MARKED A+
✔✔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
✔✔Multimedia Editor - ✔✔An editor responsible for coordinating or producing news
content for various media.
✔✔Multimedia Journalist - ✔✔A journalist capable of producing content in more than
one medium, such as radio and newspapers
✔✔New media - ✔✔Emerging forms of computer-delivered news
✔✔News conference - ✔✔An interview session in which someone submits to questions
from reporters. Also called a press conference
✔✔News director - ✔✔The top news executive of a local television station
✔✔News release - ✔✔An item that is sent out by a group or individual seeking publicity.
Also called a handout or press release
✔✔News value - ✔✔A measure of how important or interesting a story is.
✔✔Not for attribution - ✔✔An expression indicating that information may not be
ascribed to its source.
✔✔Nut paragraph - ✔✔A paragraph that summarizes the key element or elements of a
story. A nut paragraph is usually found in stories not written in inverted-pyramid form.
Also called a nut graf.
✔✔Off the record - ✔✔An expression that usually means "Don't quote me." Some
sources and reporters use it to mean "Don't print this." Phrases with similar, and equally
ambiguous, meanings are "not for attribution" and "for background only."
, ✔✔Online editor - ✔✔The editor of a website for a newspaper or television station
✔✔Op-ed page - ✔✔The page opposite the editorial page, frequently reserved for
columns, letters to the editor and personality profiles.
✔✔Open-ended question - ✔✔A question that permits the respondent some latitude in
the answer-for example, "How did you get involved in politics?"
✔✔Open-meetings law - ✔✔A state or federal law guaranteeing public access to
meetings of public officials. Also called a sunshine law
✔✔Open-records law - ✔✔A state or federal law guaranteeing public access to many-
but not all- kinds of government records
✔✔PDF file - ✔✔Short for portable document format. An electronic facsimile of a printed
document
✔✔Photo editor - ✔✔The individual who advises editors on the use of photographs in
the newspaper. The photo editor also may supervise in the photography department
✔✔plagiarism - ✔✔Using any part of another person's writing and passing it off as your
own
✔✔Podcasting - ✔✔A method of distributing multimedia files, usually audio or video, to
mobile devices or personal computers so that consumers can listen or watch on
demand. The term derived from Apple Inc.'s iPod, but podcasts may be received by
almost any music player or computer
✔✔Press - ✔✔The machine that prints the newspaper. Also a synonym for journalism,
as in the phrase "freedom of the press". Sometimes used to denote print journalism, as
distinguished from broadcast journalism.
✔✔Privilege - ✔✔A defense against libel that claims the right to repeat what
government officials say or do in their official capacities
✔✔Profile - ✔✔A story intended to reveal the personality or character of an institution or
person.
✔✔Public figure - ✔✔A person who has assumed a role of prominence in the affairs of
society and who has persuasive power and influence in a community or who has thrust
himself or herself to the forefront of a public controversy. Courts have given journalists
more latitude in reporting on public figures than on private citizens.
QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS MARKED A+
✔✔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
✔✔Multimedia Editor - ✔✔An editor responsible for coordinating or producing news
content for various media.
✔✔Multimedia Journalist - ✔✔A journalist capable of producing content in more than
one medium, such as radio and newspapers
✔✔New media - ✔✔Emerging forms of computer-delivered news
✔✔News conference - ✔✔An interview session in which someone submits to questions
from reporters. Also called a press conference
✔✔News director - ✔✔The top news executive of a local television station
✔✔News release - ✔✔An item that is sent out by a group or individual seeking publicity.
Also called a handout or press release
✔✔News value - ✔✔A measure of how important or interesting a story is.
✔✔Not for attribution - ✔✔An expression indicating that information may not be
ascribed to its source.
✔✔Nut paragraph - ✔✔A paragraph that summarizes the key element or elements of a
story. A nut paragraph is usually found in stories not written in inverted-pyramid form.
Also called a nut graf.
✔✔Off the record - ✔✔An expression that usually means "Don't quote me." Some
sources and reporters use it to mean "Don't print this." Phrases with similar, and equally
ambiguous, meanings are "not for attribution" and "for background only."
, ✔✔Online editor - ✔✔The editor of a website for a newspaper or television station
✔✔Op-ed page - ✔✔The page opposite the editorial page, frequently reserved for
columns, letters to the editor and personality profiles.
✔✔Open-ended question - ✔✔A question that permits the respondent some latitude in
the answer-for example, "How did you get involved in politics?"
✔✔Open-meetings law - ✔✔A state or federal law guaranteeing public access to
meetings of public officials. Also called a sunshine law
✔✔Open-records law - ✔✔A state or federal law guaranteeing public access to many-
but not all- kinds of government records
✔✔PDF file - ✔✔Short for portable document format. An electronic facsimile of a printed
document
✔✔Photo editor - ✔✔The individual who advises editors on the use of photographs in
the newspaper. The photo editor also may supervise in the photography department
✔✔plagiarism - ✔✔Using any part of another person's writing and passing it off as your
own
✔✔Podcasting - ✔✔A method of distributing multimedia files, usually audio or video, to
mobile devices or personal computers so that consumers can listen or watch on
demand. The term derived from Apple Inc.'s iPod, but podcasts may be received by
almost any music player or computer
✔✔Press - ✔✔The machine that prints the newspaper. Also a synonym for journalism,
as in the phrase "freedom of the press". Sometimes used to denote print journalism, as
distinguished from broadcast journalism.
✔✔Privilege - ✔✔A defense against libel that claims the right to repeat what
government officials say or do in their official capacities
✔✔Profile - ✔✔A story intended to reveal the personality or character of an institution or
person.
✔✔Public figure - ✔✔A person who has assumed a role of prominence in the affairs of
society and who has persuasive power and influence in a community or who has thrust
himself or herself to the forefront of a public controversy. Courts have given journalists
more latitude in reporting on public figures than on private citizens.
