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A news release or press release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. Typically, it is mailed or faxed to assignment editors at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations and television networks. Commercial newswire services are also used to distribute news releases. A news release is different from a news article. A news article is a compilation of facts developed by journalists published in the news media, whereas a news release is designed to be sent to journalists in order to encourage them to develop articles on the subject. A news release is generally biased towards the objectives of the author. Reporters don’t go out and dig up all the stories they write. Many stories come to them. They are mailed, telephoned, telexed or hand-delivered by people who want to get something in the paper. They come from people or offices with different titles: public relations...

  What is a feature? A newspaper feature is an article which finds its impact outside or beyond the realm of the straight news story’s basic and unvarnished (with nothing added) who-what-where-when-why and how. The justification, strength and very identity of the feature lie in its presentation of the imagination — not, however, in departing from or stretching the truth (not being completely honest), but in piercing the peculiar and particular truths that strike people’s curiosity, sympathy, scepticism, humour or amazement. The feature story Feature stories are ‘soft news’ — the candy. A feature assignment is often considered a writer’s reward for handling routine news well. The implication is that feature writing is easy. Actually, it makes more demands on writing ability than the straight news story, because it has no specific format. Feature stories can be news stories. Features can be investigative. Features can be in-depth. Features can be for fun. The subject can be...

backgrounder :  (1) a meeting with the press in which a source gives information not for publication (2) informative, factual story that relates the history or background of a current news event in order to aid audience understanding balloon :  a cartoon device, used in comic strips and occasionally in other ways, that show the words of a person coming directly from his mouth into the "balloon" bank :  (1) lower portion of a headline (2) computer file in which stories are kept before they are placed in their designated page form banner :  a headline stretching across the top of a page; also called a "streamer" or "banner line" beat :  a reporter's regular assignment, such as city hall beat, police beat binding :  any further treatment of stock after printing; includes cutting, folding, trimming, gathering, stitching and gluing bleed :  an illustration filling one or more margins and running off the edge of the page or border; used frequentl...

  ABC :  abbreviation for Audit Bureau of Circulation, an organisation that compiles statistics on circulation acetate :  clear plastic that words are photocopied onto. The words on acetate are then placed over original artwork that is unscanable ad :  advertisement add :  copy to be added to a story already written advance :  a preliminary story concerning a future event advertising :  commercial messages that announce merchandise or services for sale. The messages are printed in newspaper space paid for by the advertiser ad flow :  refers to the computer system that shuffles classified ads within their categories so that they fit best on a page ad send :  a computer system that receives camera-ready advertisements from businesses using a modem agate :  type 5 1/2 points in depth, the smallest ordinarily used in newspapers (72 points equal one inch). Usually used for sports statistics air :  white space on a print...

  Newspaper layout and design   Layout Layout refers to a document or written version of a plan that covers selecting, shaping and arranging the contents of each newspaper issue. Contents include news, advertising, features, news directories and many other items. Design It includes layout arrangement and all artistic decisions related to the appearance of individual pages. How important is good newspaper design? The most important part of selling a newspaper is its content, first, and then its design, but the two elements are not divided fifty-fifty. People buy newspapers that carry stories they want to read. There is considerable variance in what each person wants to read. Children and some adults may want to read the comics, but with different priorities. Children may want only comics, but adults usually want something more, including news, sports scores, sports stories, stock market reports and so on. How much does layout and design matter to readers? The a...

  CAPTIONS Why use pictures anyway? Words can seldom explain or describe an event as eloquently as can a photograph. There is a Chinese saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” The readers are educated, frightened, thrilled and amused by visual images. These images tell us about the lifestyle of people living in remote villages of Pakistan, a devastating flood in Bangladesh and the weeping family in the background, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in a cricket match and the list goes on. Some photographs cause our eyes to mist, while others cause them to crinkle in amusement. Photographs can document everyday life in the alleys of the old city or a boring social event of the wealthy in a posh hotel. What is a caption? A caption is a brief summary or explanation of a photograph’s content. While each publication will have its own caption style, ideally a caption should answer the usual who, what, where, when, why and how. Associated Press (AP), which ...

TIPS & GUIDELINES FOR INTERVIEW OF POLITICIAN ü     Preparation is vital. Have a 'narrative' and base your questions around it. ü     Be prepared to ad-lib. Throw in extra questions if a line of questioning proves fruitful. ü     Have too many questions and don't get upset about having to drop some of them. Better to have too many than not enough. ü     Be nice to your interviewee! They're probably doing you a favour. It's very risky to try and take the mick out of an interviewee for comedy value. ü     Don't be afraid of being ambitious. It is possible to interview anyone if you try hard enough. ü     Be aware of recent political issues and include questions about them. Try and get your interviewee to say something controversial and your interview might get noticed. ü     Build a relationship with your interviewee - you might be able to talk to them again in the f...

WHAT IS SECOND LANGUAGE?  Second language acquisition or second language learning is the process by which people learn a second language in addition to their native language(s). "Second language acquisition" refers to what the learner does; it does not refer to what the teacher does.  PROBLEMS OF LISTENING FACED BY A SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNER A foreign or second language learner can experience certain problems while listening to English language.  Regarding sound discrimination  Regarding words and grammar  Regarding the setting or cultural context  Regarding the knowledge about the speaker and the subject matter Sound Discrimination: These problems are caused due to different accents, stress, intonation patterns, clarity etc. Words and Grammar: The students who are not good at grammatical rules of spoken language, styles of language, different expressions etc. usually face this kind of problem. This is mainly due to the lack of exposure to different styles of speak...

 A dvertising is a way of promoting some product or service. It is an attempt to persuade potential customers to procure or to devour more of a particular brand of merchandise or service. It is a service industry which is aimed towards the announcement of information, knowledge and ideas to and on behalf of others. The fundamental reason of advertising is to rationalize sales and erect a brand name. Advertising sector is rising very swiftly day by day. A profession in this segment is pretty exciting and at the same time very testing with numerous agencies opening up every day. Employees who are in this profession have to carry out numerous vital roles and errands. GUIDELINES FOR WRITING AN AD 1.       Write ad from the reader's point of view , not yours. 2.       Benefits are stressed, not features you're proud of. 3.       Keep the language simple. You can easily lose your reader by using unnecess...