A newspaper front page teaches students how writers, editors, and designers organize important information for readers. It combines strong writing with visual layout choices such as headlines, columns, photos, captions, and sidebars. A well-made front page looks professional because every element has a purpose and guides the reader through the story.
This project helps students practice research, summarizing, visual communication, and audience awareness.
Key Facts
- Masthead = newspaper name, date, issue information, and sometimes price or slogan.
- Headline = the largest text on a story and should summarize the main news angle in a few powerful words.
- Lede = the opening sentence or paragraph that answers the most important who, what, when, where, why, and how.
- Byline = the writer credit, usually written as By Student Name.
- Caption = a short explanation of a photo that identifies people, action, location, and relevance.
- Column width rule: body text is easiest to read when a line has about 45 to 75 characters.
Vocabulary
- Masthead
- The masthead is the top section of a newspaper front page that shows the newspaper title and publication details.
- Lede
- The lede is the first sentence or paragraph of a news story that gives the reader the most important information.
- Byline
- A byline is the line that names the person who wrote the article.
- Sidebar
- A sidebar is a small related section that gives extra facts, a timeline, a quote, or quick background information.
- Caption
- A caption is a short text under or beside an image that explains what the reader is seeing and why it matters.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Writing a vague headline, such as Big Event Happened, is weak because it does not tell the reader the specific angle or importance of the story.
- Starting with background information instead of the main news is wrong because a lede should quickly answer the most important who, what, when, where, why, and how.
- Using too many fonts and colors makes the page look messy because newspaper design depends on consistency, hierarchy, and easy reading.
- Leaving a photo without a caption is incomplete because readers need context to understand who is shown, what is happening, and how the image connects to the story.
Practice Questions
- 1 A front page has 6 columns and each column is 1.5 inches wide with 0.2 inch gutters between columns. What is the total width of the column area from the left edge of column 1 to the right edge of column 6?
- 2 A student writes a 420-word article and wants to place it into 3 equal columns. How many words should go in each column if the text is divided evenly?
- 3 Compare these two headlines: City Council Approves New Park After Months of Debate and A Green Dream Comes to Life Downtown. Which one is better for a hard-news story, which one is better for a feature story, and why?