Deconstruction of Local Newspaper: 'The Post: Barking & Dagenham'

First Page:
The top of the page has the information of the paper including the date, website and the name of the paper itself. Also there are page numbers at the top left hand side of the paper.

At the side of the page there is an index for the readers; not only is there the name of the stories and the page numbers but there is also the names of those involved; for instance their is the name of the editors, reporters, photogrophers e.t.c. The index takes up around a fifth of the page, therefore taking up quite a bit room on the page.

The page features one significant article which is placed at the top of the page, there is a large bold headline with a sub heading at the top of the page. The headline is in black and stands out on the light background; the sub headline has a wob with a black background and white writing. The story features a young local woman who will be 'jetting off' to Gambia to take apart in a prestigious modeling competition. The article is placed on the left hand side with a large picture of the young woman placed on the right. Below the picture there is a caption which has her name and a little snippet of what the article is about. The writing in the article is put into columns, the first column is around 6cm in width and the second around 3cm. This is due to the fact the picture takes up a lot of space around 9 - 13cm therefore taking over some of the second column. The first paragraph is in bold and begins with a drop cap, this draws the eye to the start of the intro. Also in between the headline and the article there is the name of the Journalist.

There is a large advert placed on the page for garages. The advert takes up around a quarter of the page and is rather large in contrast to adverts placed on tabloid papers because many tabloid papers use more than one advert also the advert is separated from the editorial text with the use of fine rules. There is a small column in between the advert and the index which is filled with a small article about local charity funds. The column is around 3cm in width, this in comparison to the 17.5cm for the advert.

The layout is typically conventional to most newspapers of its kind with adverts taking up the priority of the page and the contrasting clear white background and the dark headlines to capture the audience's eye.


Second Page:
The second page continues with the article which was on the front page. The article is set into columns both of which are 4 cm in width. The layout is similar to the article on the first page which also has a large headline and is in black. Above that there is a wob which has a black background and white writing, exactly the same as the article on the first page. Above the second column it says 'Comment page 16' this is in bold and lets the reader know what they have to say about the story.

There are small columns down the left and right hand side; this gives other stories 'news in briefs.' The first column on the left hand side is around 4.5cm in width and has one story in it; the second column is 4.5 cm in width and has two short stories. The headlines are in bold and the columsn have an off colourish white/grey which is different to the background of the rest of the page. Also The boxes stand out as they have a blue outline and the sub headline 'news in brief' is in pink and in caps lock which add draw the readers eye.

There are 3 adverts on the page all of which are important because they take up a lot of room (around a third of the page). They like the other adverts are also for local companies. The adverts are all placed at the bottom of the page and are all next to each other.The adverts are important because they are being tried to be aimed at the reader and in some cases the adverts can be related to the article on the page.