What kind of fence is this? Read below to find out.

Just take this quick quiz and you�ll be one-star ready

Walk into your average newsroom, and you might hear someone holler, �Hey, Joe, the cutline under the main art on A1 oughta be 10p. Looks like 11 to me. And the jump line to Smith�s story is screwed up, too. Can you fix it for one-star?�

BRENDA BRISSETTE-MATA and ANDREW HELLER Journal Columnists

Say what?

Translated, that means the words that explain the biggest photograph (the cutline for the main art) on the front page (A1) are set in the wrong type size (�p� in this case is for points, units of measure equal to about 1/72 of an inch), and the line at the end of a partial story that asks you to turn inside for the rest (the jump line) is wrong, too.

A one-star is journalese for the second edition of the paper. (We print three.) If we catch an error in the first edition � or if news �breaks� in the meantime � we make the necessary changes in the one-star. You can look for the actual stars on the top right-hand corner of each page.

Wanna learn to talk like a journalist? (Come on, sure you do.)

Take this easy terminology quiz:

Art

A) The guy with the paper hat in the pressroom who yells, �Stop the presses!� when a big story hits.
B) Any photograph or graphic.

Budget

A) A list of stories for that day�s newspaper.
B) What most journalists are incapable of following.

Bullet

A) A dot used as a graphic element. • Like that.
B) A frequently used object in the city of Flint.

Cutline

A) The words beneath a photograph explaining the photograph.
B) What a doctor draws on your belly just before surgery.

Dateline

A) The bold type at the start of a story that tells you where the
story took place.
B) A TV news show.

Deck

A) What many a reporter has wanted to do to many an editor, and vice versa.
B) The longer, more explanatory headline below a shorter but larger headline.

Flag

A) The way New Yorkers hail a taxi.
B) The top of the front page that includes the name of the newspaper.

Fence

A) What some editorial writers tend to sit on.
B) A device old-time layout artists used for �sizing� photos.

Hed

A) What many journalists do after a day of work: Hed out to a bar.
B) Insider shorthand for a headline (yes, it�s purposely misspelled).

Headshot

A) What many journalists buy themselves at the bar.
B) A photo, usually of a person, that shows his head and shoulders only.

�Hey, Mabel�

A) A short, interesting story on Page 1.
B) How many journalists hail the waitress at the bar.

Jump line

A) What stockbrokers wait in when the Dow Jones crashes.
B) Single word and reference line that directs you to the second part of a story on another page.

Lede

A) The first paragraph or two of a news story.
B) How journalists spell the word �lead� at the end of a 12-hour shift.

Leading

A) Pronounced �ledding,� it�s the space between lines of printed type.
B) How a marksman can tell the difference between bullets.

News hole

A) What journalists call other journalists who are jerks.
B) Percentage of space on a page set aside for news stories, not advertisements.

One-star

A) A second edition of the newspaper that includes corrections.
B) A popular holiday show at Longway Planetarium.

Overset

A) What you call a table arranged by Martha Stewart.
B) Leftover story that�s too long to fit in its allotted space.

PD

A) Shorthand reference for �property damage.�
B) Police lingo for �probably dead.�

PI

A) The ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.
B) Shorthand for �personal injury.�

Pagination

A) The homeland of the Pagi tribe.
B) The way today�s news and photos are placed by computer.

Pixel

A) One of many small dots that make up digital photos.
B) A really small pix.

Pica

A) Hot and spicy sauce often used on tacos.
B) A size of type that allows 10 characters to an inch.

Point

A) A measurement of typographical size.
B) What columnists sometimes, but not always, have.

Playhole

A) A really ugly recreation area for children.
B) The top, right-hand section of a page, usually reserved for the lead � not lede � or most important story.

Pull quote

A) What journalists feel like they�re doing when interviewing politicians.
B) A notable quote pulled from a story and set in larger type.

Refer

A) Pronounced �reefer,� it�s usually a note to let readers know about a story elsewhere in the paper or coming in the next day�s editions.
B) What drove people nuts in the well-known anti-drug film �Refer Madness.�

Screamer

A) A reporter whose story has been cut in half by an editor.
B) Attention-getting headline or refer on a front page.

Skybox

A) The plush seats at sports arenas that no one working in the newspaper business has a chance of ever occupying.
B) Special place at the top of A1 to tell the reader what�s on other section fronts or pages.

Slot

A) The place in the casino where you spend your nickels and quarters.
B) How editors determine where to place stories on a page.

Stylebook

A) A fashion guide explaining how trendy journalists dress. Not widely read, however.
B) The reference book used by journalists and editors (particularly those who can�t remember the difference between lie and lay).

Subhead

A) The part of a submarine that holds the periscope in place.
B) Miniature headlines within the body of a story.

White space

A) A popular album by The Beatles.
B) The parts of a news page not covered in type or photos.

Widow

A) A single word left hanging alone on a line at the end of paragraph or a column of type.
B) What some people think Bill Gates� wife can�t wait to be.

Columnist Brenda Brissette-Mata started at The Journal in 1976. Andrew Heller started at The Journal in 1989. Mata can be reached at (810) 766-6361 or bmata@flintjournal.com. Heller can be reached at (810) 766-6116, by fax at (810) 767-2278 or e-mail at aheller@flintjournal.com.