There are four characteristics of newspapers headlines that editors use to establish the news value of a story. These are:
1. Headline width
A newspaper headline run across two, three, four or more columns signifies that the news report is important, and the editors have chosen to display it prominently.
The point size of a newspaper headline is directly proportional to the importance of a news report. Editors write headlines in large point sizes of major news reports to catch the attention of readers. Minor reports use headlines written in small point sizes.
3. Headline weight
The editors use a bold type face when writing headlines for more important stories. This type face stands out against the lighter type face used for other headlines, and the reader can immediately spot it.
Italics is the preferred style of most editors when they write headlines for soft or light stories. Such headlines stand out on the page, and if used judiciously signal the reader that here is a news report that is different.
