When It Comes to Homepages, It is Polite to Stare
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=69884

Small, Jay
Poynter Online
2004

Abstract:

That one webpage bears all the promotional burdens that would typically be spread through an entire printed edition of your newspaper. Your homepage begins to look as though a dozen designers from different departments each built their own piece.