defamation
/ˌdɛfəˈmeɪʃən/The act of damaging someone's reputation through a false statement, whether spoken or written.
Example: The company faced a defamation lawsuit over the claims.
C222 words · Proficient
Media & Communications vocabulary — C2
Expert media vocabulary for law and influence in journalism, including defamation, redaction, prior restraint and the filter bubble and echo chamber behind manufactured consent.
22 questions
Words in this set
22gaffer
The chief lighting technician on a film or television production.
Example:
The gaffer adjusted the lights before the next scene.
splice
/splaɪs/To join separate pieces of film, audio or video together during editing.
Example:
The editor had to splice two takes together seamlessly.
post-production
All the editing, sound and visual effects work done on a film or programme after filming has finished.
Example:
The special effects were added during post-production.
redaction
The removal or blacking out of sensitive information from a document before it is released or published.
Example:
Large sections of the report disappeared under redaction.
prior restraint
A government action that stops information from being published before it even appears, rather than punishing it afterwards.
Example:
The court refused the government's request for prior restraint.
wire copy
A news story received from a news agency, often used with little or no editing.
Example:
The small paper filled its foreign pages with wire copy.
slander
/ˈslændər/A false spoken statement that damages someone's reputation.
Example:
The politician sued the radio host for slander.
chyron
/ˈtʃaɪrən/The text banner shown at the bottom of a television screen during a broadcast.
Example:
The chyron displayed the latest stock prices during the interview.
B-roll
Extra filmed footage used alongside the main shots to illustrate a news story.
Example:
Editors added B-roll of the factory floor over the reporter's narration.
chilling effect on speech
The way fear of consequences stops people publishing.
Example:
One injunction created a chilling effect on speech across the sector.
prior restraint order
A court order stopping something being published in advance.
Example:
A prior restraint order is rare and it was granted that Friday.
qualified privilege
Legal protection for reporting certain proceedings fairly.
Example:
Qualified privilege covered the report of the council meeting.
responsible journalism defence
A defence based on having reported carefully and in the public interest.
Example:
The responsible journalism defence succeeded on the evidence of the notebooks.
filter bubble
The narrowed view created when systems show you only what you like.
Example:
The filter bubble was measured and turned out smaller than feared.
echo chamber
A space where the same views are repeated and reinforced.
Example:
The comment section became an echo chamber within a fortnight.
agenda-setting theory
The theory that media decide what people think about, not what they think.
Example:
Agenda-setting theory is fifty years old and still the best explanation.
framing effect
The way presentation changes how the same facts are understood.
Example:
The framing effect in those two headlines is worth a seminar.
manufactured consent
The idea that media shape public agreement to serve powerful interests.
Example:
Manufactured consent is a thesis, not a description, and it is still useful.
information laundering
Making a dubious claim respectable by passing it through outlets.
Example:
Information laundering takes a forum post to a front page in four steps.
astroturfed amplification
Fake accounts spreading something to make it look popular.
Example:
Astroturfed amplification put the hashtag in the trending list by six.
source triangulation
Confirming a fact from several independent sources.
Example:
Source triangulation is why that story took eleven months.
