Newspaper Codes and Conventions

Codes and Conventions:

Masthead (MH) - title of the newspaper displayed on the front page
Barcode (BC) - used to scan the newspaper when purchasing. It is an optical, machine readable representation of data and contains information such as price.
Caption (C) - brief text underneath an image describing the photograph or graphic.
Headline (H) - 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.
Main Image (MI) - Dominant picture, often filling much of the front cover.
Page Numbers (PN)- A system of organisation within the magazine. Helps you to find what you want to read.
Target Audience (TA) - People that the newspaper aims to sell to.
Pull Quote (PQ) - Something taken from within an article, usually said by the person in the main image.
Classified Ad (CA) - An advertisement that uses only text, as opposed to a display ad, which also incorporates graphics.
Skyline (S) - An information panel on the front page that tells the reader about other stories in the paper to tempt them inside.
Edition (E) - Some newspapers print several of these every night, these are versions with some changes and maybe additional late stories.
Stand First (SF) - Block of text that introduces the story, normally in a different style to the body text and headline.
Byline (B) - The line above the story, which gives the author's name and sometimes their job and location.
Body Text (BT) - Also known as copy. Written material that makes up the main part of an article.
Standalone (SA) - Picture story that can exist on its own or on a front page leading to a story inside.
Centre Spread (CS) - A photograph often in full colour, that runs across the middle two pages.
Lead Story (LS) - Main story, usually a splash.
Gutter (G) - The blank space between margins of facing pages of a publication or the black space between columns of text.
Folio (F) - Top label for the whole page. Can relate to the area covered in the paper for example, National or a big news topic such as Social Media, Syria.
Page Furniture (PF) - Everything on a page except pictures or text of stories.