cover story

noun3

1. •
   A story included in a publication that is highlighted on the front cover.

   • We didn't even think it was that important, at first, and yet by the end of the week it had become the cover story of the next issue.
2. •
   A fictitious account that is intended to hide one's real motive.

   • The cover story of an intelligence agent posing as a foreign service officer is called a diplomatic cover in the trade.
3. •
   Any fictitious account used to hide, distract from, or falsely explain the truth which one intends to conceal.