Why are bylines on a newspaper important?

A byline is simply a reference to the author of an individual story.

Journalists generally covet "Page 1" bylines for important stories.

"Getting your byline" in top publications like the New York Times is the goal of a vast number of working journalism professionals. Below, I've included an example of a byline in bold below the sample headline.

By NICK BUNKLEY

Published: October 1, 2008

DETROIT - September was another difficult month for car makers.