por The parts of a newspaper and its sections They tend to vary depending on the scope of distribution, political inclination, frequency of publication, or the genre of information it covers.
However, some elements tend to be typical of most of these print media, such as the news, opinion or entertainment sections, as well as the front page or cover, header, date sheet, logo, motto or directory.
Normally a newspaper is internally divided into several sections that can include local news, international news; editorial and opinion; business and economy; sports; policy; classified; entertainment; art and culture; as well as environment, interviews, letters from readers, events, television guide and society, among others.
The sections may vary according to the date of publication, being generally different in the weekly edition and that of Sundays. This last day of the week, the newspaper provides a greater amount of higher quality content (reports, color photographs, supplements, weekly, etc.).
All the sections that a newspaper can have are not mandatory. Some newspapers may have all these parts and others may skip them. A newspaper can also be supported by magazines and supplements that complement it on specific days of the week.
However, most newspapers have a similar structure, the front page tends to be laid out in a similar way and inside there is usually a news section (local and international), an opinion section, an entertainment section, a sports section, etc. and finally, one of classifieds.
Each part of a newspaper is in turn subdivided into other parts. For example, the news section will in turn be made up of news items, each with a headline, a photo-report, a caption, a lead, and a body.
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sections of a newspaper
– The news section
The news section, in general information newspapers, is the one that occupies the largest bulk of the newspaper.
These take on importance on the cover, where the most outstanding ones are briefly exposed. In the first internal pages is when they develop, being divided into local, national and international, according to the distribution of the medium.
Local, national and international news
The first part of a newspaper is devoted to national and local news. These news must cover the region or city to which the newspaper is directed. Subsequently, there is an international news section, where the most important current issues worldwide are discussed.
Within the part dedicated to national news, there is a novelty that will be the most relevant of the publication. The first pages of the newspaper will be dedicated to this news and it will have a leading presence on the front page, where it will be assigned a striking headline and the most important aspects of the news event will be pointed out.
All the news have a headline at the beginning and a small section where the first lines of the text are highlighted. The headline and the first lines should give the reader clues about the total content of the news, in such a way that they can understand what is happening just by skimming the lines.
It is essential to bear in mind that the news should always have an objective tone. This is the basis of the ideology of a newspaper, for this reason the presence of sources and witnesses that can give reason for the events that are related and corroborate that the data provided to the reader is true becomes essential.
Photo-reports
Within the news section you can find photo-reports. These are the ones in charge of creating images that can support the development of an event. In the case of newspapers, photo-reports are made up of static images.
Photos included in any news item must have a caption at the bottom. This is a strip that contains a phrase that accompanies each photograph and gives a brief explanation of what is being shown in the image and, on some occasions, includes the name of the photographer.
events
Also known as chronicles, they are dedicated to recounting cases linked to catastrophes, crimes, murders or any tragic or sinister news.
– The opinion section
After the news section, although sometimes just after the cover, we can find the opinion section. Its main objective is to provide a decentralized reporting style where journalists and writers can share their opinion on various topics as editorials. This section is usually divided into editorial, opinion, column and letters to the editor.
Editorial
The editorial is intended to persuade the reader to think in a certain way or to question a particular situation.
Editorials can deal with topics related to local, national or international issues. They slightly mark the ideology of the medium in reference to these events, giving an opinion based on the information they handle.
The director of the newspaper is the one who usually signs the editorial, but it can be a journalist from the media or even a person of external reference.
opinion and columns
The opinion section almost always includes articles written by well-known writers or journalists, they are sporadic and deal with a specific event, usually current affairs.
In some cases, certain journalists have a fixed daily opinion article, which is why it is known as a column. The column has a little more freedom, being able to deal with more timeless or past topics.
Letters to the Editor
Within the opinion section there is also room for the opinion of the readers. Through letters to the editor, they can generate their own opinions about the issues published in the newspaper.
editorial cartoons
An editorial cartoon is also known as a political cartoon. This illustration is usually a graphic whose content is based on a social or political message that speaks to a current event or personality.
Political cartoons can be found in the opinion section of almost all newspapers, almost always dealing with visual metaphors that seek to explain a complex political situation or try to summarize an event in a funny or emotional way.
– The economics section
Depending on the newspaper, this section becomes more or less relevant and several pages are devoted to it or they can simply fit into the news section. The media that are more specialized tend to deal with topics such as the stock market, employment, finances, the stock market or investments.
– The sports section
The sports section contains information related to local and international sporting events. It can include smaller events such as youth and college tournaments, especially in the case of more local sized newspapers.
News related to national sports leagues are found in this section. Sometimes more emphasis is placed on some sports than on others, depending on the day of the week on which it is published in the newspaper. The most important events are usually found in the weekend editions.
Depending on the country, more space will be dedicated to one sport or another. For example, in the United States they will devote more effort to talking about the Super Bowl or the NBA, while in Europe or South America about soccer. Those with less coverage are usually synthesized in the Sports Center.
In many newspapers, the sports department does not have special importance, dedicating brief reviews to it, usually extracted from external information agencies. However, the coverage of sporting events has become more important in recent years.
In this way, sports journalism has become an essential element to structure a newspaper, including team reports, athlete biographies and relevant game statistics.
– The entertainment and/or culture section
The entertainment section of a newspaper includes information and articles focused on different cultural aspects. You can find reports related to human interest stories, where social interaction between individuals is discussed from an emotional perspective.
Society
In this section, current cultural events are presented, people’s social problems, concerns and achievements are discussed in such a way as to attract the interest and sympathy of readers.
This is where information related to famous people or popular culture is found.
hobbies
This space is more typical of the Sunday newspaper and usually offers pastimes such as word searches, crossword puzzles, riddles, horoscopes or advice on love and work.
Radio and TV
Space dedicated to daily or weekly programming, as well as reporting on news on the different audiovisual platforms. They may also include interviews with actors, broadcasters and other entertainment celebrities.
supplements
Supplements and magazines are sometimes considered extensions of this part of a newspaper, so that fashion-related topics or interviews with local or international celebrities can be covered in more depth.
It is almost always here where topics related to gastronomy, latest trends, music, cinema, theater, entertainment, among other interests, are discussed.
– The classifieds section
The classified section is considered a fairly common form of advertising in newspapers, both print and online. In this section different products and services are promoted and offered. It is an advertising model that allows private individuals or companies to search for buyers and sellers of all kinds of products.
The classifieds are short newsrooms that do not include images and provide basic information about a product or service and a contact number. Sometimes this may include the contact’s name, an address, and a more detailed description of the product. Although images should not be included, sometimes a company logo can be included within the post.
This part of a newspaper receives this name because the different advertisements contained in this section are grouped by class.
In this way, there are small titles within the classifieds section that list the kinds of products or services offered. Some common titles may include accounting services, automobiles, job offers, clothing, food, sales, purchasing and leasing, among others.
The classifieds are different from the boxes and spaces dedicated to advertising different products and services within a newspaper (the ear), since they do not include graphics and their layout is basic and the same for all ads.
Classifieds can be purchased at low cost. However, in countries like the United States, the general income from the purchase of classifieds amounts to 30 billion dollars annually.
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