In
journalism, a scoop or exclusive is an item of
news reported by one
journalist or
news organization
The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), and th ...
before others, and of exceptional originality, importance, surprise, excitement, or secrecy.
Scoops are important and likely to interest or concern many people. A scoop may be a new story, or a new aspect to an existing or
breaking news
Breaking news, interchangeably termed late-breaking news and also known as a special report or special coverage or news flash, is a current issue that broadcasters feel warrants the interruption of scheduled programming or current news in orde ...
story. It may be unexpected, surprising, formerly secret, and may come from an exclusive
source
Source may refer to:
Research
* Historical document
* Historical source
* Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence
* Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute ...
. Events witnessed by many people generally cannot become scoops, (e.g., a natural disaster, or the announcement at a
press conference). However, exclusive news content is not always a scoop, as it may not provide the requisite importance or excitement. A scoop may be also defined retrospectively; a story may come to be known as a scoop because of a historical change in perspective of a particular event. Due to their secret nature,
scandals
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
are a prime source of scoops (e.g., the
Watergate scandal by ''
Washington Post'' journalists
Woodward and
Bernstein).
Scoops are part of journalistic lore, and generally confer prestige on the journalist or news organization.
Word origin
The word ''scoop'' is of American origin, first documented in 1874. As a verb, meaning to beat someone in reporting first, it is first recorded in 1884.
Extended usage
More generally, a scoop is the first discovery or the first report of something important.
In some of
John le Carré's spy novels, a scoop is new information of major strategic importance, not, of course, intended for publication.
["I have received this information from Pali, he has visited Rumania." "Rumania? For the toxic-weapons conference? That would be a scoop!" John le Carré, '' The Secret Pilgrim'', ch. 6, p. 140.]
A scoop in the scientific community is a report by one group before another, giving them
scientific priority In science, priority is the credit given to the individual or group of individuals who first made the discovery or propose the theory. Fame and honours usually go to the first person or group to publish a new finding, even if several researchers arr ...
.
See also
*
First-mover advantage
In marketing strategy, first-mover advantage (FMA) is the competitive advantage gained by the initial ("first-moving") significant occupant of a market segment. First-mover advantage enables a company or firm to establish strong brand recognition ...
References
External links
* {{wiktionary-inline, scoop
''In defense of scoops: Their reputation took a beating in Boston, but there are reasons to value the news scoop, and they go beyond ego and institutional pride''by
Bill Grueskin, April 22, 2013,
Columbia Journalism Review
The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its contents include news and media industry trends, ana ...
''What’s a Toyota “Exclusive?” at This Point?: Bloomberg pushes the definition'' by
Dean Starkman, February 24, 2010,
Columbia Journalism Review
The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its contents include news and media industry trends, ana ...
''SCOOP! Flood of ‘scoops’ dilutes value of real exclusives'' by
Bill Adair
Marion Danne "Bill" Adair (February 10, 1913 – June 17, 2002) was an American coach and interim manager in Major League Baseball (MLB).
A second baseman, he was a career minor-league player who never rose about the Class AA level but who spe ...
and
Hank Tucker, June 21, 2017,
Columbia Journalism Review
The ''Columbia Journalism Review'' (''CJR'') is a biannual magazine for professional journalists that has been published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961. Its contents include news and media industry trends, ana ...
Journalism
Mass media events