THE 5Ws and H of News
Writing/Inverted Pyramid
Adapted from UIL website
Nancy Gibson – Journalism I
The "who" lead - If the "who" is a person
(place or thing) well known, it is usually
the feature of the lead. The name alone
attracts attention. Unless one of the other
elements is particularly outstanding, the
"big name" comes first.
Use this one rarely because it deals with a person and
the person is most probably not the story.
THE “WHO” EXAMPLE:
Coach Bubba Steroid, who led Pine
Valley to four consecutive district
football championships, announced his
retirement in order to sell used cars
door to door.
The "what" lead - Refers to the
happening or occurrence that makes an
item worth reporting. The what might be
the election of a public official, an
automobile accident, a crime or the
announcement of a decision or survey.
Begins with the fact of the story.
THE “WHAT” EXAMPLE
The Pine Valley School Board voted to
suspend popular coach Bubba Steroid
after he was caught last week trying to sell
whole-life insurance and used cars to fourth
graders.
The "where" lead - On rare occasions,
the "where" is significant enough to
overshadow the other W's.
Use this rarely as the “where” is not generally that
important.
THE “WHERE” EXAMPLE
In the living room of his mobile home,
Principal Seymour Skinner stood in front of
his prized velvet painting of Elvis Presley
and renewed his recommendation that
courses in the study of "the King" be
required in order to graduate from Pine
Valley schools.
The "when" lead - Rarely is the
time of an event the most
interesting feature. However,
circumstances may make it
significant.
Use this rarely as “time” is not the story.
THE “WHEN” EXAMPLE
When football coaches gather to talk about the
team these days, their cocktail of choice may
be Maalox. As they debates how to fire up a
team that hasn't won a game in three years, one
outcome is virtually certain: something good
better happen quickly or they'll all be looking for
new jobs next year.
The "why" lead - The motive or cause
of an event sometimes is the most
important feature. Musician Shawn
Phillips may not have had high school
journalism in mind when he said,
"Whether you're 14 or 114, one always
needs to question the 'why' and the 'how'
because otherwise you have died inside"
but it makes a lot of sense.
Begins with the cause the story.
THE “WHY” EXAMPLE
In
an effort to teach Shakespeare to
sophomores, English teacher Gina Hatley
and science teacher Phil Barnes
reenacted the love scene between
Romeo and Juliet. "It's the only thing I
thought they'd understand," Ms. Hatley
said.
The "how" lead - The method by
which something is accomplished.
Begins with the how of the story. Use often.
THE “HOW” EXAMPLE
By
flunking every course, missing 62 days
of class and assaulting two teachers,
Junior Snively gravely endangered his
eligibility for high school basketball.
Let’s talk about
news writing
structure.
Advantage:
It condenses
information
efficiently, letting
readers
understand the
basics of what
happened
quickly and
easily
Disadvantages:
It can get
repetitive.
It might
discourage you
from a more
creative lead.
It can get bogged
down with facts
and details.
News Writing
A better way ….
The next structure is a modification of the inverted
pyramid that allows for more flexibility and is easy for
beginning journalists to use.
Use the Transition - Quote (L-Q-T-Q) model for most of
your work in journalism.