Print related issues - Information value

As mentioned in my earlier post, Information value decides which part of the print the article will appear in.

An article 'does not have the same value and meaning when it is placed on the right or left, in the upper or lower section of the page, in the centre or in the margin.' (Kress, Gunther and van Leeuwen, Theo 1998) Basically, where an article is placed in a print matters alot.

Left versus Right

Article on the left is presented as Given and article on the right is presented as New. Given means something a reader already know and New is something the reader does not know.

Top versus Bottom

Article at the upper half is presented as Ideal and article on the lower half is presented as Real. In Ideal, its information is generalised, in real, the information is more specific.

Centre versus Margin

Article in the centre is called Centre, and what other information around it is called Margin. Article in the centre are information that are subservient and article in the margin are identical or at least similar to the Centre.

Kress, Gunther and van Leeuwen, Theo 1998, Approaches to media discourse, Front pages: (the critical) analysis of newspaper layout, Blackwell, Oxford.