Codes and Conventions of Tabloid Newspaper Front Covers

Firstly, the main features of a tabloid covers are the masthead, the name of the newspaper, which is at the top, sometimes to the left. Often the colour used for this is red, therefore making it stand out, so readers know what the newspaper is called. There is a sell line below this, which is a slogan for the magazine, for example, 'Real news...Real entertainment' is the Daily Mirror's. Often the price and and date will be printed here, both a relatively small size, compared to the masthead. Another features is the main headline, the largest, most attractive convention on all tabloid covers. The text for this is very big, grabbing the readers eye instantly. A large picture will also go beside this, linking to the main story. There will also be a strap line under this, in a smaller size text, a more detailed hint into the story.Then there will be a small paragraph for the beginning of the story, which is usually continued inside the paper, persuading people to buy the issue. The splash is another story advertised on the cover, smaller than the main headline, but still made to intrigue and attract readers. This is often placed under the headline, or at the bottom of the page. A pug, which advertises a free item or competition inside, is used in the corner of the page, to persuade the reader to buy the paper. There is often a picture of the item, which may be a poster, voucher or price from the competition. There will also be a column of stories to the left or right of the page, with smaller stories, continued inside. The page is always split into about 5 or 6 columns as a structure for all the features that go on the page. Overall, the amount of text used of the front cover is small, as pictures and large sized text is used to draw the reader in and just give hints into the stories inside. For most of the pictures, there will be a small caption, which explains what is shown in each image. Also, generally the look of the page is not hugely colourful, as it needs to look shocking. This achieved by the large text and one or two strong colours. Lastly, the language, especially for the main headline are always shocking and emotive, often making use of puns and alliteration.