Front Page Progress

My cover is almost finished now, the only things left to do are to write the main article and create two more adverts or offers to place in the boxes on to the right of the page. I hope to finish this by the christmas holidays.


I decided to delete the 'FOOTBALL LATEST' section at the top of the page as I thought there was already a lot of text on the page. I don't want to overload the page with text as I think images can be more eye catching. 

Creating the Tempter

I have decided to create a tempter to fill the space between the masthead and the lead article. I   have researched the dates of the FA Cup and found that the 6th round usually occurs around the date of publication, so my tempter will be an offer to win tickets for the FA Cup match. 


When The News features a match between teams, it often uses the logos of both teams as they are distinctive. I have decided to do this too, and plan to cut the logos of the teams out in circles so they look like footballs. 


With help from my lecturer, I have learnt how to use the pen tool and paths tool on Photoshop to achieve this.  After transferring to InDesign, I edited the logos by changing the clipping tool options.

Production Powerpoint

At the beginning of the lesson, my lecturer showed everyone this powerpoint issued by OCR that has tips on how I should structure my work. http://www.slideshare.net/petefrasers/mm-conf? I found it really useful and hope to apply it to my project to ensure I get the most out of it.

Front Page Progress

Front Page Progress

I have spent the first hour of this lesson tweaking my front page. I have changed the headline of the main article to make it shorter and snappier, and it frames the model in my photo much better than before. I have applied my knowledge of generic newspapers by using alliteration in my headline. I am a lot happier with how it looks now. 


I have also added the headline for my sub lead, which I have decided I will create on the inside cover. I have chosen a negative story about a local leisure centre being closed to counterbalance the positive story on the front page. 

Creating the Masthead

This lesson I have been creating my masthead, combining the name of the newspaper with the logo. I studied the mastheads of The News and the Southern Daily Echo as inspiration, and decided to have a tagline, like The News, which has the slogan 'It's All About You'.

I have decided to use 'Newspaper of the South' for mine, as it summarises the context and purpose of my publication. I also added the website name and date of publication underneath, as this is commonly used in the local newspapers I have studied.

I am happy with the way my masthead looks, although I may make some amendments to it as I add more to my front cover. 

Choosing my Font

Today I have been choosing a font for the title of my newspaper. I think this is probably one of the most important components, as the way the newspapers are stacked means the masthead can often be the main focus of the audience. I have used websites www.dafont.com and www.myfonts.com to find a font, because they have many more interesting and unusual fonts than In Design's preset ones. There are many I considered for the masthead, some examples are shown below:

After placing them next to my logo, I decided a Serif font would be most appropriate because the coat of arms looks quite regal and traditional. Modern writing doesn't suit the logo my audience liked. I have decided to use this font:

which can be found at:
 http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/efscangraphic/century-schoolbook-sh/bold/

Front Page Progress

This lesson, I have been adding more components to my front cover, and it is really starting to take shape. I have added my main image and finished the advert at the bottom of the page, but I still have no masthead. So my top priority for next week is to choose a font and add my logo.

I'm pretty happy with how it's looking, but it's annoying me a little bit that the title is quite close to Alice's head. I might try and alter this next week.

Main Image

After reviewing the articles of sporting success that I initally researched,  I have decided to use a static shot of Alice stood with her medal for my front page.
Although I like some of the action shots, they don't seem appropriate for the front page of my newspaper; I think they would be more suitable on the page of the full article. When studying print publications whilst making my magazine last year, I found that a front page image is most successful when the face of the model can be seen, as it feels more engaging for a buyer. I have decided to apply this knowledge to my newspaper this year.


This is the image I will use:

I have chosen this image because Alice's face can be clearly seen, and she is smiling and looking directly at the camera. The lighting in the shot reflects off the medal, making it more prominently gold which emphasises the headline. The background of the shot is empty too, and clearly illustrates that she is in an ice rink.

I plan to enhance the photo in Photoshop before adding it to my cover, to make it look more professional.

Presentation of Front Page Images

I have managed to take some images for my front cover during the week at the ice rink. I decided to use my friend Alice who I skate with, because she looks particularly athletic, meaning my lead article will look more realistic. I also took some photos of her with another of my friends, who wears a Team GB hoodie and therefore looks like a coach.


I like the images I have taken as I think they fit with the headline of my article: 'British Gold for Ice Skating star'.

Cover Photos

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Logo Questionnaire

This is a copy of the questionnaire I gave out to students from my college and my family. Handing out the questionnaire, I found that the most popular logos were the Spinnaker Tower and the Portsmouth coat of arms. 


The younger people I surveyed (under 30) tended to like the Spinnaker Tower idea, but upon asking them if they would read the newspaper, most of them said no. Over half of the people I surveyed aged 31-60 said they liked the coat of arms, and also said they would be likely to read this type of newspaper. I therefore think that the coat of arms is the most appropriate logo for me to use. 

Local Business Advert

I haven't managed to finish my advert today, but I feel I have made a good start. I have started to add colours and defined boxes to my front cover now, and I am happy with the way it looks so far. After speaking to my lecturer, we have decided that I should be aiming to have looked for and selected a font for my title at home so I can add it to my publication next week.

Front Page Flat Plan

I have started creating the front cover for my newspaper, organising my page into boxes so I have formed the basic structure. The first thing I will add to my cover is the title and logo, but I will need to receive feedback on my logo ideas before I add it to my flat plan. Today I plan to create my main advert for the front cover. Looking at the News, I have noticed that there is often an advert for a local business on the cover. My cousin is a local electrician, so I have got his brand logo and I am going to use his company. I have decided to situate this advert at bottom of the page as shown:

Lead Article

Today I have been researching articles based around sporting success for inspiration. Online articles I have found include:

'British divers take silver'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/swimming/3566082.stm

'Teen Daley qualifies for Olympics' 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/diving/7251148.stm

'Splashing Gold for Rebecca'
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/olympics/article1542332.ece

'Cycling Stars land more gold'
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/olympics/article1573056.ece


I will begin writing my lead article after I have taken the photo for my cover, as it is important that the information in my article reflects the image and visa versa.

Portsmouth Press

I have spoken with my lecturer about my ideas and come to some decisions about what I am going to use. I have decided to call the newspaper Portsmouth Press as I like the alliteration and it is immediately obvious what the publication is about. All of my logo ideas fit with this title so I have decided to hand out a questionnaire to find out which one is the most popular.


I am going with my original idea to write an article on local sporting achievement, and plan to use the success of one of the ice skaters at my ice rink for my story. My lecturer advised me to counteract using a positive lead with a negative article on the inside page, and I think this is a good suggestion. I am not sure yet though what I am going to base my article on.


Over the half term (next week) I plan to write a draft of my lead article and take some photos. I also would like to look at the types of adverts featured in The News to get some ideas of what to feature.   

My Logo

Studying these has given my initial ideas for my own logos. Their suitability will depend on the title I choose.

Spinnaker Tower

(a sketch)

      Portsmouth Crest

Portsmouth Coat of Arms

                                                                    Portsmouth Guildhall

                                                                                          (a sketch)

Newspaper Logos

Logos are employed to make a publication iconic and easy to identify. Having researched, there are many local newspapers that don't have an image for their logo, they just use iconic fonts or colours for their title. However I like the use of an image for a logo like The News' and would like to create one myself. The design of my logo will be very important as it will feature on the newspaper, the website and the poster for my newspaper.


I have looked at some existing local newspapers and their logos.



The News
The logo used by The News is a red ship, which reflects that Portsmouth is perhaps most famous for its dockyard, historic ships and naval bases. 

The Leicester Mercury
The logo used by Leicester Mercury is a statuesque male, which seems slightly irrelevant. I have researched the logo but I don't know why it has been chosen. I feel this is an example of an unsuccessful logo and has given me an idea of what I don't want for my publication.








I have also looked at existing national newspapers and their logos.


The Daily Mail
The Daily Mail uses the coat of arms of the British Monarchy which I think is eye-catching. It features the phrase “Dieu et mon droit”, meaning “God and my right” refers to the divine right of kings. I like the way this logo establishes that the Daily Mail is published in Britain.

Newspaper Titles

I have been researching the names of all the local newspapers in the UK using this website http://www.wrx.zen.co.uk/soupress.htm

I have found that most titles are similar in the way that they all use the name of the region the newspaper is circulated in accompanied by a news-related word such as 'mail', 'express', 'times', 'herald' and 'gazette'. Some examples include:

• Cambridge News
• Ipswich Evening Star
• Oxford Times
• Slough Express

I would like to create something similar for my own publication. I will decide where, specifically, I am going to distribute my newspaper according to which title works the best. Some of my initial ideals include:

• Southern Star
• Portsmouth Express
• Southern Mail
• Portsmouth Post
• Gosport Gazette
• Portsmouth Times
• Portsmouth Press

Example articles in The News

Some of the headlines featured as a lead on the front page of the paper include:

"Mystery man found dead in sea"

A lot of the headlines on the front cover are related to local success or tragedy. This is something to think about when creating my lead article for the cover. I am currently considering using a story about sporting success for my front page as I think this is a newsworthy article and I will be able to get photos easily for this story.

Comparison of Website and Newspaper

• On the newspaper website, the main article is reproduced exactly as it appears in the actual newspaper. However there is an extra feature added which allows people to post comments on the article.
• The website holds archives of much older articles and images that can be accessed if requested, however the newspaper only features an article once, and unless the newspaper is kept, cannot be viewed again.
• The website also includes a section informing people of whats on at the cinema for that week, the newsaper doesnt feature this section every day of the week, only on a Wednesday.
• The website contains hyperlinks on pages that lead to other articles and advertisements, obviously the newspaper does not have this feature

• There is clearly a 'house style' as the website and the newspaper use the same colour scheme (blues and whites) and font (sans serif). The website layout follows the same style as the newspaper. Brand identity is achieved, with both the newspaper and the website featuring the logo and title.

• The weather is featured on both the newspaper and website, however on the website it can be updated instantaneously.

• Both predominantly feature local news from the areas of circulation, however the website also includes scrolling text at the top of the homepage featuring the latest national news.

The News Website

Alongside the paper publication, The News also has a website with the URL http://portsmouth.co.uk/

The function of the website is to support the publication in reporting news, and make the articles and photos more accessible to the public. Studying the website, I have found the following features:

News articles featured in newspaper - organised according to category; sport, news, people, entertainment

Interactive options - allowing people to comment on articles and newsletters

Hyperlinks to sister publications - when clicked the reader is taken to their websites

Search engine - Allowing people to search for a specific topic or article

Online archives - Old articles available for people to view online

Shipping and Travel Information - Makes readers aware of roadworks, weather conditions, delays and accidents

Contact options - Makes it easy for someone to contact the newspaper via email

Registration options - Log in/out, Register, allowing readers to sign up to newsletters etc

Follow on articles - Some articles online following ones featured in other issues of the newspaper

'Latest national news' - Included at the top of the website in scrolling text that changes

Job, business, motor and property searches  - Linked with the advertisements in the newspaper

Online shop - Featuring special discounts offered by The News

Extra articles - Some articles that aren't featured in the newspaper

'What's on Today' guide - Offering recommendations for cinema, eating out and local events

The Portsmouth News

'The News' is a local newspaper in my region. It is distributed in Portsmouth and Southsea, Gosport and Fareham, and Havant and Waterlooville. It is published by Portsmouth Publishing and Printing, which is part of Johnston Press, publishers of 18 daily newspapers, 300 weekly newspapers and more than 300 websites. 


The map below illustrates where the newspaper is circulated:

Facts and figures:
Average Daily Circulation of the newspaper- 45,175, 100% paid.
Average Daily Visitors to the website- 10664
Average Daily Hits on the website- 124,774
The combined online and in-print reach every month lies at around 290,238.

What is the 'inverted triangle'?

The inverted pyramid is a metaphor used by journalists and other writers to illustrate the placing of the most important information first within a text. It is the most widely preferred method in writing news stories. The format is valued because readers can leave the story at any point and understand it, even if they don't have all the details. It also allows less important information at the end to be more easily removed by editors so the article can fit a fixed size.

What is ethos?

Ethos refers to the spirit which motivates the ideas and customs. Ethos may change in response to new ideas or forces. Ethos is often expressed within the newspaper's language.

What is bias?

Bias is a term used to describe a tendency or preference towards a particular perspective, ideology or result, when the tendency interferes with the ability to be impartial, unprejudiced, or objective.. In other words, bias is generally seen as a 'one-sided' perspective. Journalists can be biased towards certain types of people, places and organisations.  Many journalists have been accused of bias for not representing a balanced viewpoint in a report.

What is newsworthiness?

If something is described as 'newsworthy' then it is deemed sufficiently interesting to be reported in a newspaper. 

There are typically 12 factors that constitute news value, or newsworthiness:

• Timeliness: News is what's new. Something that might be breaking news on the day it happens will have probably blown over given a couple of days.
• Proximity: If 15 people are killed in your hometown, a local newspaper will undoubtedly consider it news. But if 15 people are killed in a distant place you've never heard of, it will probably pass without notice. But there are exceptions.
• Exceptional Quality: Exceptional quality refers to how uncommon an event is. A man getting a job as a music conductor is not news—unless that man is blind.
• Possible future impact: News of a virus or disease epidemic may be published in a local newspaper as it may eventually be a threat to the readers (have possible future impact).
• Prominence: If news features someone prominent from your local area then it may be considered newsworthy. If a local polititian gets married, it's news; if John Smith, your next-door neighbor, gets married, it probably isn't.
• Conflict: Conflict has long held the interest of readers. The conflict may be physical or emotional. It can be open, overt conflict, such as the city uprising against police authority, or it may be ideological conflict between local political candidates.
• The number of people involved or affected: The more people involved in a news event, be it a demonstration or a tragic accident, the more newsworthy the story is. Likewise, the number of people affected by the event, whether it's a new health threat or a new tax ruling, the more newsworthy the story is.
• Consequence: The fact that a car hit a utility pole isn't news, unless, as a consequence, power is lost throughout a city for several hours. 
• Human Interest: Human-interest stories are generally soft news. Examples would be a baby beauty contest, a person whose pet happens to be a nine-foot boa constrictor, or a man who makes a cart so that his two-legged dog can move around again. These types of articles are very common in local newspapers.
• Pathos: The fact that people like to hear about the misfortunes of others can't be denied. Seeing or hearing about such things commonly elicits feelings of pity, sorrow, sympathy, and compassion. Some call these stories "tear jerkers." For example, a blind man who lost his life savings to a fraudulent plumber. 
• Shock Value: An explosion in a factory has less shock value if it was caused by gas leak than if it was caused by a terrorist. The story of a six year-old boy who shot his mother with a revolver found in a bedside drawer has more shock (and therefore news) value than if same woman died of a heart attack.
• Titillation component:This factor primarily involves sex and is commonly featured in more bottom end newspapers.

What is a local newspaper?

A local newspaper is a publication circulated within a certain limited region, for example a city.


Newspapers typically meet four criteria:

• Publicity: Its contents are reasonably accessible to the public.
• Periodicity: It is published at regular intervals.
• Currency: Its information is up to date.
• Universality: It covers a range of topics

Local newspapers are published and distributed in local newsagents. They are usually published daily, although some may be weekly editions. Articles are sourced and can often be published the next day. Local newspapers typically publish stories on local and national political events and personalities, crime, business, entertainment, society and sports.