The answers to those questions about print media for digital PR people.

Conclusion: either a.) digital PR people largely clueless about print media, b.) digital PR people can’t be arsed to read this blog or c.) inconclusive. B and c most likely.

1. Stone: big slab of solid stuff that sub editors used to use to lay out pages (pre-Quark Xpress) manually, using glue and a knife. Proper old school

2. Delayed drop: editorial technique of leaving the juicy bit of the story until the end of the copy (largely redundant these days due to immediacy of news and over-zealous subbing)

3. Gash: news page that is approximately 50 per cent advertising and the remainder editorial. As in instruction notes to subs like ‘go big gash flag pic first last only’

4. Reverse stipple: reversing the normal type/background shading of a headline, putting it in a box (normally) and using dots to make it stand out more. Useful technique for enlivening a page full of good stories to add prominence to one (otherwise less noticeable) item

5. Snapper: a photographer

6. Flash: small news item on the front page to bring your attention to a larger story insider

7. Sting: what it sounds like. Effectively ambushing someone for a story. The fake sheikh springs to mind, but some are orchestrated by the authorities, like being invited on a dawn raid in which front doors get put in and suspects are chased across fields in their pants

8. Snatch: picture taken without the subject’s prior permission, such as of a defendant leaving court. Bushes and parked cars are allies, dumb pedestrians are not

9. Snout: insider paid in cash by the publishing company for passing information on (names, addresses, other passages to sleaze)

10. Crosshead: like a sub-heading. A technique used to break up the copy, often used by Sunday newspapers in features