Scoop
A scoop is a significant piece of information an outlet publishes first, alone in holding it. What separates a real scoop from a few minutes' head start.
A scoop is a significant piece of information an outlet reveals first, because it alone holds it. Exclusive is the descriptive equivalent, and "exclusive" is usually the label you see on the page.
Two conditions, not one: exclusivity and significance. Being alone in publishing something of no interest is not a scoop, it is something of no interest. And publishing three minutes ahead of a rival who had the same document is not a scoop either, it is a race.
A scoop lives for a few minutes: once published, the agencies pick it up with credit and it becomes everyone's news. Its value to the newsroom is therefore not the head start itself but the reputation it earns — and the risk taken, because a wrong scoop costs far more than a missed one.
Related reading
- Off the recordGlossary
Off the record covers what a source tells a journalist without it being quotable. What the deal actually covers, its degrees, and why it holds.
- EmbargoGlossary
An embargo is a time before which information handed to journalists may not be published. What it is for, and what it does not guarantee.
- Breaking newsGlossary
Breaking news is major information published while the event is still unfolding. What it means, what it is worth, and why it keeps getting corrected.
- How does a newsroom work?Guides
News conference, desks, subbing, deadline: the path a story takes from the first alert through to publication, and exactly who decides what at each step of the chain.
- News agency vs newspaper: who writes what, and for whomComparisons
An agency sells dispatches to media outlets; a newspaper addresses the public. Client, editorial line, format, byline: the difference between the two trades, explained.