Although my question fit nicely in the title, I thought I should actually add an OP. So, if anyone in the newspaper business can tell me what the “lingo” is for a story that is written and submitted, but not run because an editor thought it was inappropriate, I’d greatly appreciate it. Thanks.
Spiked. (not that I’m in the newspaper business)
“Killed” also works quite nicely.
Beat me to it. However, I will add that the term comes from the big metal spike that would sit on the editor’s desk and on which the unfortunate rejects would be impaled. (The articles, that is, not the journalists, although some editors may have gone further…)
That’s what I was told when I first entered the business, anyway.
This does not answer the OP. The story is spiked. But is there a word for a story which has been spiked?
Well, the editor and the journalist in question could both probably think of a few words, but AFAIK there isn’t a special term for the story itself, other than “spiked copy” or “a spiked story”.
I (in magazines) have never heard of a word-word name for a killed story.
And we usu. speak of the story as having been killed, rather than spiked. Contracts with freelancers even sometimes stipulate a specific “Kill Fee”–a dollar amount (usually smaller…sometimes 50% of the commission) to be paid to the writer in the event that the article is editorially acceptable but can’t be published for whatever reason (politics, space, etc.).
“one-word”, not “word-word”
doh-doh
A lifetime newspaper man here. Killed-story. a dead-story and spiked-story have all been used within my hearing. Although once when an editor asked why I still had the notes from a dead story on my 'puter, I responded that the story was not actually dead, it was “only resting.”
He was not amused.
Liberal, elitist, self-important, scumbags!
Oh, you mean what are the stories called… 
I’ll agree with all of the above. (Well, except Hail Ants… Some of or editors are really cool.)
I’ve worked in newspapers and magazines, and I heard “killed” in magazines (as well as “kill-fee,” which sounds a lot more badass than it is). And at my present job (daily paper) I hear “spiked” for stories. And I haven’t heard a term for the actual stories.
-30-
Yep, killed or spiked.
But why:
-
3 0 -
?
Why -30-? The usually explanation is given as it standing for -XXX- at the end of a story and some smart-ass wrote it out as a 30.
However, it seems the real explanation has to do with telegraph code. Lemme fish around google…Ah, [ur=“http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%7E1752%7E815583,00.html”]here’s one which gives both stories.