Generic Conventions of Newspaper Articles

The Knaresborough Post:

Speeding - time to act

• The first sentence is twenty words long, and informs the reader who, what and where.
• The article was written by one person, and includes a byline.
• The first word of the article is capitalised, in keeping with the style of the paper.
• The article is sixteen paragraphs long, as it is the main article on the page.
• The article ends with the e-mail address of the paper, and an invitation to the reader to give their opinion on the story.
• The article contains quotes from several people involved in the story, some of whom have contradictory opinions, which helps to make it three-dimensional.
• The article is aimed at an older audience, of both genders, especially residents of the area referenced in the story, who would be more interested.
• The article is arranged in seven columns, each of which has twenty-one lines.

The Ripon Gazette:
Hotel fire victim wanted to leave "ropey" accomodation

• The first sentence is twenty-seven words long, and informs the reader who, what and where.
• The article was written by one person, and includes a byline.
• The first word of the article is capitalised, in keeping with the style of the paper.
• The article is twenty-six paragraphs long, as it is the main article on the front page.
• The article ends with the e-mail address of the writer of the article.
• The article quotes the man in question, and his family, making the story more personal.
• The article is aimed at an older audience, of both genders.
• The article consists of eight columns, of varied length, as they are arranged around two pictures.