News genre conventions

• A newspaper is a publication containing news, information and advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint. It may be general or special interest, most often published daily or weekly.
• content and layout of each newspaper reflect its target readership. The top 10 best selling UK newspapers can be divided into two categories: Image led and Text led:

Tabloid and broadsheet

 

Hard vs soft news

Masthead	Where the name of the reporter is included at the beginning of the article.
Caption	Picture story that can exist on its own or on a front page leading to a story inside
Headline	Usually at top left and right hand corners of page displaying  promotions, special offers or price of newspapers.
Main Image	Title of the newspaper displayed on the front page
Stand First	subheadings that appear in the text of the article
Byline	Brief text underneath an image describing the photograph or graphic
Standalone	Dominant picture, often filling much of the front cover
Splash	Block of text that introduces the story, normally in a different style to the body text and headline
Cross-head	The main story
Pug	A phrase that summarises the main point of the article. Usually in large print and a different style to catch the attention of the reader.

House style- a companys preferred manner of presentation and layout of written material.

What are the functions of the front page of a newspaper

• attract readers reinforce the newspaper's identity through easily recognisable style and features
• demonstrate clearly what the newspaper's attitude is towards the news of the day
• show that this particular edition of the newspaper contains certain stories
• Although each has their own individual style, you will find the following elements on the front page of most (or more likely, all) newspapers; commonly found characteristics of specific media texts are known as ‘conventions’ of the particular genre.