Batangas State University
Parts of a Newspaper
Layout, typical features and technical terms
Some or all of these may be found on the front pages of newspapers.
Box-out – A small part of the page, shaded in a different colour.
By-line – he name of the reporter, if they are important is often included at the beginning of the feature, rather than at the end, or not at all.
Caption – typed text under photographs explaining the image.
Credits – the author of a feature may be given credit in the form of a beeline. Photographs may have the name of the person who took them or the agency that supplied them alongside them.
Crosshead – this is a subheading that appears in the body of the text and is centred above the column of text. If it is se to one side then it is called a side-head.
Exclusive – this means that newspaper and no one else solely cover the story. The paper will pay their interviewees, buying the story so it cannot be used by another paper.
Feature – not necessarily a ‘news’ item (current affairs), but usually with a human-interest angle presented as a spread.
Headline – this is the main statement, usually in the largest and boldest font, describing the main story. A banner headline spans the full width of the page.
Kicker – this is a story designed to stand out from the rest of the page by the use of a different font (typeface) and layout.
Lead Story - the main story on the front page, usually a splash.
Lure – a word or phrase directing the reader to look inside the paper at a particular story or feature.
Masthead – the masthead is the title block or logo identifying the newspaper at the top of the front-page. Sometimes an emblem or a motto is also placed within the masthead. The masthead is often set into a block of black or red print or boxed with a border; the ‘Red-tops’ (The Sun, The Mirror, The News of the World) are categorised by style and the use of a red background in the masthead.
Menu – the list of contents inside the paper.
Layout, typical features and technical terms
Some or all of these may be found on the front pages of newspapers.
Box-out – A small part of the page, shaded in a different colour.
By-line – he name of the reporter, if they are important is often included at the beginning of the feature, rather than at the end, or not at all.
Caption – typed text under photographs explaining the image.
Credits – the author of a feature may be given credit in the form of a beeline. Photographs may have the name of the person who took them or the agency that supplied them alongside them.
Crosshead – this is a subheading that appears in the body of the text and is centred above the column of text. If it is se to one side then it is called a side-head.
Exclusive – this means that newspaper and no one else solely cover the story. The paper will pay their interviewees, buying the story so it cannot be used by another paper.
Feature – not necessarily a ‘news’ item (current affairs), but usually with a human-interest angle presented as a spread.
Headline – this is the main statement, usually in the largest and boldest font, describing the main story. A banner headline spans the full width of the page.
Kicker – this is a story designed to stand out from the rest of the page by the use of a different font (typeface) and layout.
Lead Story - the main story on the front page, usually a splash.
Lure – a word or phrase directing the reader to look inside the paper at a particular story or feature.
Masthead – the masthead is the title block or logo identifying the newspaper at the top of the front-page. Sometimes an emblem or a motto is also placed within the masthead. The masthead is often set into a block of black or red print or boxed with a border; the ‘Red-tops’ (The Sun, The Mirror, The News of the World) are categorised by style and the use of a red background in the masthead.
Menu – the list of contents inside the paper.