Photojournalism Glossary / Industry Jargon

Above the fold - the front page of a physical newspaper that is visible when the publication is folded in half.

Chimping - When photographers review their photos in the field using the camera, sometimes making “oooo” and “ahhhh” sounds as they come across images they like.

Cull / Culling - Narrowing down a full take to the best photos.

Embargo / Embargoed - Information or content that should not be made public until a specific date.

File / Filing - When a journalist sends an assignment to an editor for publishing, this is referred to as “filing an assignment.”

Fixer - A local person hired to help a journalist navigate an area of the world that they are nit familiar with

FTP - A type of file transmission technology most often used by newspapers and media organizations. Can be used as a verb by photo editors. Can you FTP the photos by 10 am? I think FTP stands for File Transmission Protocol but this is irrelevant.

Kill Fee - Partial payment for a canceled assignment

Gatekeeper - An editor who determines which photographers get assignment work.

Jube - A photo showing people celebrating or showing jubilation. Most often used in sports photography.

PAO - Public Affairs Officer - A media liason, often working with law enforcement or the military.

PIO - Public Information Officer - Variation of previous

Pool photographer - A single photographer that represents many when space and access is limited.

Scrum - A dense pack of reporters and/or photographers enveloping a subject.

Spot news - Unplanned news event — like a house fire or accident.

Take / Full take - all the photos made on a particular assignment

Tight Edit / Loose Edit - A tight edit is a highly curated set of photos and a loose edit includes a broader selection of images.