Spike (journalism)

Spiking, in journalism, is the act of withholding a story from publication for editorial, commercial, or political reasons. A spiking may be permanent, or temporary, depending on what instigated it and whether the objection(s) can be overcome. The term "spike" originally referred to a metal spike on news or copy editors' desks, upon which they would impale rejected stories. Although the term comes from print media, radio, television and online publications also spike stories for the same reasons.

Some examples would be a story that, while factually correct, would likely incite a powerful local politician, upset a valuable advertiser in that paper, or bring unwanted attention to a community. The editorial staff or, if preempted, the newspaper ownership or management must balance all its interests against purely theoretical "journalistic integrity". Conflicts involving spiking often arise from stories being pursued as part of investigative journalism, or which threaten to bring on a libel lawsuit (that could prove expensive to fight even if groundless).