A newspaper’s front page serves as a window through which the reader can peek into the edition and get a glimpse of the features and items contained in its pages. The front page is like the cover of a magazine and often helps sell the paper at the newsstand.
The front page of the paper has its name in large bold print at the top. Beneath the name is the number of years in print or volume number along with the edition number for the current year. The price and weather forecast are also near the top of page one. Many newspapers print announcements of highlighted features for the edition and their page numbers at the very top of the page. The city or town of publication is also printed.
The main feature story receives the boldest headline of the front page as well as the entire newspaper. Other featured stories begin on page one and are often continued elsewhere in the first section (approximately the first twenty pages). However, these articles can be continued in sections other than the first.
Perhaps the most useful tool on page one is the Index. Usually situated in the lower left or right hand corner of the paper, the Index lists the features and sections contained in the paper along with their corresponding page numbers. The Index contains both regular daily items and special features of the edition. Learning to use the Index properly makes finding information fast and accurate.
Many newspapers across the country recently have made their front pages more inviting adding color photos and highlights as well as maps, charts, and graphs and diagrams.
(figure available in print form)