The Front Page Strategy

The front page of Sunday’s New York Times highlighted news about national security, economic hardship, political tension in the G.O.P and Russia, and the continuing grief from the Newtown massacre. The diversity of these headlines and corresponding pictures shows that the Times strives to engage the largest audience possible. Considering this goal, how do editors layout the front page with compelling photos and reports to pique the public’s interest?

Printing a variety of relevant and sometimes shocking photos appears to be one of the Times’ strategies. For instance, the cover photo of Monday’s paper snagged my attention by illustrating the aftermath of destructive fighting in Syria. The jagged edges of a partially destroyed apartment building, a heap of rubble testifying to the recent violence, and a life-size model of the Syrian president in the foreground attracted my interest. Questions flashed through my mind: what happened, why did it occur, and what are the ramifications? I quickly searched for the accompanying headline and skimmed through the column. Just as the Times had planned, the large, color photo ripe with shock value prompted me to read.     Scanning the front page further, I noticed that the four smaller photos drew from distinct subject areas just like the headlines in the Sunday paper. Photos of Chuck Hagel’s face, methadone administration in jail, NFL players, and a house in a potential natural gas drilling site represented news ranging from politics and health to sports and the environment. Even if the cover picture did not grip a viewer, the Times hoped a supporting image would prompt further reading. Interestingly, captions and just a snippet of the full article accompanied three of the four supporting images. This emphasis on pictures, not words, illustrates the Times’ belief that photos encourage people to sate curiosity by exploring the rest of the newspaper. Additionally, two thirds of the front page’s main headlines had no corresponding images. The Times holds that either headlines or intriguing photos will draw people to read the paper but deems both unnecessary.

By strategically printing a variety of photos and headlines on the front page, the New York Times targets people’s distinct interests and thereby builds a large following.