Getting and using information
Background
Also: backgrounder
The context and history a reporter gathers to make sense of a story, and the explainer piece that lays that context out for readers.
Background is the homework: the cuttings, files, history and context you gather so a story holds up and you are not caught out. A "backgrounder" can mean two things: the briefing notes you build before an interview, and a standalone explainer that gives readers the context behind a running story. Do the background and your questions get sharper and your copy gets safer. Do not confuse it with being "on background", which is a separate rule about how you may use what a source tells you.