What does newspaperman mean?
Newspaperman is a traditional term for a journalist who works for a newspaper, usually by gathering information, reporting news, or writing articles. Its meaning is transparent: it combines newspaper with the traditional masculine occupational term man. In modern English, the word is conventionally masculine in form, although reporter and journalist are now much more common and do not mark gender. Reporter often refers to someone who covers news for a newspaper, radio station, television outlet, or online publisher, while journalist is the broadest usual occupational label. Newspaperman remains an established dictionary word and appears in journalism, political history, biographies, and accounts of local or investigative reporting. It can sound formal, historical, or slightly old-fashioned when used for a modern professional whose ordinary title would be reporter. The word is particularly associated with newspaper writing and reporting, distinguishing it from editors, publishers, photographers, and other newspaper employees.
nounA journalist who works for a newspaper, especially one who reports news or writes articles for it.
- A journalist or reporter employed by a newspaper, especially one who gathers and writes news stories.
"The veteran newspaperman spent decades investigating corruption in local government."
"The former newspaperman covered the city's schools and municipal courts."
"His memoir follows his early career as a newspaperman before he became an editor."
The irregular plural changes man to men.
"Several former newspapermen attended the newspaper's anniversary celebration."
The compound still shows its job description in plain sight: newspaper plus man, a traditional title for a journalist who worked at a paper.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of newspaperman
Newspaperman is an English compound formed from newspaper and man. Newspaper was itself created in English by combining news with paper, while man is an inherited English word unrelated in origin to the newspaper term. The compound therefore names an occupation by joining the workplace or field of activity with a traditional word for a male worker.
Related word forms
How newspaperman is actually used
The term is established but now somewhat traditional or old-fashioned, especially compared with the more general labels reporter and journalist. It remains conventional in journalism, political history, and biography.
Easily confused with newspaperman
A newspaperman is specifically a journalist employed by a newspaper, whereas a newsman can also mean, especially in British usage, a person who sells newspapers.