Stringer

Categories: Journalism jobs

Stringer can have different meanings, including:

  • In journalism, a stringer is a freelance journalist, who is paid for each piece of published or broadcast work, rather than receiving a regular salary. In American newspapers the word carries a connotation of no-nonsense professionalism as compared to "freelancer," a term more likely to be used by newcomers to the business.
The etymology of the word is uncertain. Newspapers once paid stringers so much money per inch of printed text, and one theory says the length of this text was measured against a string, hence the term. However, this seems unlikely, since editors in the pre-computer era were rarely at loss for a ruler. More likely is the usage given in the OED; a person who strings words together.
  • In geology, a stringer is an irregular filament or a narrow vein of one or more minerals traversing a rock mass.
  • In metallurgy, a stringer is an elongated body of microconstituents or foreign material aligned in the direction of working (usually hot rolling) in wrought materials. In most cases, the material of the stringers is sulfide, or clot gated oxide. Presence of stringers in materials is undesirable, as they cause the material to be brittle and with anisotropic properties.
  • In construction a stringer is a horizontal member used to connect upright members, as in the frame of a building. Usually they are long, relatively thin pieces which give support and definition to the skin of a structure.