Headline

A headline is a page headline with heading, subtitle, and byline area. It provides a structured container for article or editorial page titles with supporting subtitle (dek) and author attribution.

This headless component uses a <div> element containing a semantic heading element (<h1>-<h6>) at the specified level, with optional subtitle and byline slots.

Implementation Notes

• Uses <div> container with a heading element at the specified level
• Default heading level is 1 (<h1>)
• Subtitle (dek) appears below the heading
• Byline slot for author/date attribution below the subtitle
• Inspired by Reuters Graphics Headline component

Props

• level: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 (default: 1) -- heading level
• children: slot (required) -- heading text content
• subtitle: slot (optional) -- subtitle/dek content below heading
• byline: slot (optional) -- byline area below subtitle
• ...restProps: Any additional HTML attributes

Usage

<Headline>
  Breaking: Major Policy Announcement
  <span slot="subtitle">Government reveals new plan</span>
  <Byline slot="byline">By Jane Smith</Byline>
</Headline>

<Headline level="2">
  Economic Analysis
  <span slot="subtitle">Q1 results show steady growth across sectors</span>
</Headline>

<Headline>
  The Future of Renewable Energy
  <span slot="subtitle">How wind and solar are transforming the grid</span>
  <Byline slot="byline">
    <a href="/author/jane-smith" rel="author">Jane Smith</a>
  </Byline>
</Headline>

Keyboard Interactions

• None

ARIA

• Heading role from semantic heading element (<h1>-<h6>)

When to Use

• Use for article or editorial page headlines with subtitle and attribution
• Use when you need a structured headline with a dek/subtitle below the main heading
• Use in combination with Byline component for author attribution

When Not to Use

• Do not use for section headings within body text -- use plain heading elements
• Do not use for navigation headings -- use the appropriate navigation component
• Do not use when only a simple heading is needed without subtitle or byline

Headless

This component provides a <div> container with a semantic heading element, with zero visual styling. The consumer is responsible for all CSS including font sizes, spacing between heading, subtitle, and byline, text alignment, and responsive typography.

Styles

The consumer provides all CSS styling. The component renders with a .headline class for targeting. No default styles are included -- this is a fully headless component.

Testing

• Verify the component renders a <div> element with class headline
• Verify the heading element matches the specified level (default <h1>)
• Verify subtitle slot renders below the heading when provided
• Verify byline slot renders below the subtitle when provided
• Verify pass-through attributes are applied

Advice

• Designers: Keep headlines concise and scannable. Ensure subtitle text complements rather than repeats the headline. Consider responsive typography for different viewport sizes.
• Developers: Always use the appropriate heading level for the page hierarchy. Do not skip heading levels. Use the Byline component within the byline slot for consistent author attribution.

Related components

• hero — a large box or image with a title and description
• section-heading — a styled heading introducing a major content section, with optional eyebrow and subtitle

References

• MDN HTML elements reference