Compared to many professions, journalism has relatively few technical terms. It has, nevertheless, been a pleasing part of my education at Prospect to realise that the human habit of taxonomy really is insatiable and that, sooner or later, you'll learn that almost everything you use or read has its own, special name. In the spirit of sharing, here's a lexicon of a few of the terms I'm not too ashamed to admit I'd never heard of two years ago:
Banner: The logo on the front of magazine or newspaperProspect, of course, has an editorial lexicon all of its own (often involving the liberal deployment of CAPITAL LETTERS). But I'll save that for an even rainier day…
Masthead: The listing, usually found at the front of a publication, of staff, job titles, contact details, etc
Orphan: When the first line of a paragraph appears on its own at the bottom of a page (a breach of editorial best practice)
Standfirst: The introductory or summary information above an article (in the US, a kicker)
Widow: When the final line of a paragraph falls at the top the following page of text (a severe breach of editorial best practice)
Deadlines: Largely fictitious hours or dates, usually to be found in a dingy huddle far behind you as press night approaches
