Plural of scoop: a shovel-like tool for digging or collecting; also a news story obtained by one journalist before competitors get it.
From Middle Dutch 'schoepen' (to scoop out), of Germanic origin. The journalism sense emerged in the 1870s when competitive newspapers raced to break stories first.
The journalism meaning of 'scoop' comes from the idea of 'scooping up' the competition before they can—it's one of the most vivid metaphors in news. When one outlet gets an exclusive story, they've literally scooped out all the others from that pile of information.
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