Writing in the Inverted Pyramid Format - Google Docs.pdf
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Writing in the Inverted Pyramid Format Introduction or decades, the “inverted pyramid” structure has been a mainstay of traditional mass media F writing. Following this structure, the “base” of the pyramid—the most fundamental facts— appear at the top of the story, in the lead paragraph....
Writing in the Inverted Pyramid Format Introduction or decades, the “inverted pyramid” structure has been a mainstay of traditional mass media F writing. Following this structure, the “base” of the pyramid—the most fundamental facts— appear at the top of the story, in the lead paragraph. While some media writers are critical of the inverted pyramid structure, it remains one of the most widely used and time-tested structures in mass media writing (Scanlan, 2003). his style requiresobjectivityand involvesstructuringa story so that the most important T details are listed first for ease of reading. In theinverted pyramid format, the most fundamental 1 f acts of a story—typically the who, what, when, where, and why—appear at the top in thelead paragraph, with nonessential information appearing in subsequent paragraphs in order of importance. he style arose as a product of the telegraph. The inverted pyramid proved useful T Whentelegraph connections failed in the middle of transmission; the editor still had the most important information at the beginning. Similarly, editors could quickly delete content from the bottom up to meet time and space requirements. I t is important to note that some news stories do not strictly follow the inverted pyramid style, although the lead for a hard news piece always does. Furthermore, not everyone in the journalism field embraces the style; some detractors believe it is an unnatural way to engage in storytelling and present news to the public. Yet, proponents believe it is an efficient way to organize and share information in a fast-paced society (Scanlan, 2003). herefore, students need to learn the style; one good way to do so is to regularly read hard news T stories and pay attention to how the leads are structured. What’s Essential? he Lead: Essential information generally refersto the “Five Ws” of journalism: Who, What, T When, Where, and Why. A successful lead paragraph communicates, on a basic level, the essential facts of who did what, when, where, and why. he “Nut” graphs: The following paragraphs containadditional details, quotes from sources, T statistics, background, or other information. These are added to the article in order of importance, so that the least important items are at the bottom. The Body nce you’ve created the lead, give the reader more information in the body of the article. This is O your opportunity to elaborate on what else you know about the story. In keeping with the inverted pyramid style,present the information indecreasing order of importance, not necessarily in chronological order. The least important details shouldappear at the end of the article, where they could be omitted by an editor if necessary. U se direct and indirect quotes from sources to tell the reader the origin of the information (there is more about this later in the semester), and remember to maintain an objective tone. 2 U se the third person; avoid pronouns that are more suited to opinion pieces, such asI,me, you, orus. Use short, simple sentences and organize them into paragraphs of no more than three or four sentences. Nut graphs he “nut graf” or “nut graph” is a paragraph (or paragraphs) that follow the T lead. in hard news it’s the second paragraph after the lead. It indicates the impact of the story or clearly states the point of the story. J ournalists often say this is the paragraph that tells readers the “who cares?” about the story; it’s the “why do I care” and the “so what” of the story. It’s the story “in a nutshell.” Why “graf?” That is journalistic-speak for paragraph or “graph.” ollows the lede (lead) F Often the “why” and the “how” The underlying idea of a story Gives the story an essential theme Provides more detail than the lede Often followed by the STRONGEST direct quote What purpose does the nut graf serve? I t justifies the story by telling readers why they should care. Provides readers with the ‘gist’ of the story up high Tells readers why the story is important ha! Now we see.That paragraph - the one that condensesthe story idea into a nutshell - is called A the nut graf. And it's vital. Without a nut graf, impatient readers may wonder,What's the point? and drift away, no matter how clever your lead is. What else? or news stories, your second or third paragraph may have other duties to perform. You may F need it to supplement any of the five W's missing from the lead: 3 (Summary lead)A Salem golfer is recovering after being hit by lightning Friday morning. ( Nut graf):Wally Benson, 53, is in fair conditionat Mercy Hospital after being knocked unconscious on the third hole of Salem Golf Club during a sudden thunderstorm. Or to provide background for the action described in the lead: (Summary Lead)Electricity was finally restored for3,000 shivering Loften residents Friday. ( Nut graf)Repair crews worked for more than 72 hoursafter Monday night's ice storm caused dozens of downed power lines. ecause this is theso whatsection of your news storyyou need to answer six basic questions. B Some of these you've already addressed in the lead including the “5Ws and H” information. Preparing to write (Adapted from “News Writing and Reporting”/12th edition) rom every event that you witness and every story you hear can be reduced to answers to these F six questions. If the answers add up to a significantso whatyou have a story. Consider this example of an incoming call at the fire department headquarters: “Fire department,” the dispatcher answers. “ Hello. At about 10:00 I was lying on my bed watching TV and having a cigarette,” the voice says. “ I must have fallen asleep but about 10:30, because that's when the football game, was over. Anyway, I woke up just now and my bedroom is on fire…” hat dialogue isn't informative or convincing. More likely our sleepy television viewer awoke in a T smoke-filled room, grabbed his cell phone and punched in 9-1-1. The conversation with the dispatcher would have more likely gone like this: “9-1-1 call center, what is your emergency?” the dispatcher asks the voice at the other end. “FIRE!” yells a man. “What’s the address?” “ 1705 West Haven Street, please hurry!” 4 ven non-journalists know the lead how the fire started is not important to the dispatcher; that a E house is burning and people are in danger— where the house is located— is. he journalist must go through essentially the same process to determine the lead. Just as the T caller served himself and the fire department, reporters must serve their readers.What is most important to them? fter the fire is over there is much information a reporter must gather among the questions you A would routinely ask are these? When did it start? When was it reported? Who reported it? How was it reported? How long did it take the fire department to respond? How long did it take to extinguish the fire? How many fires this year have been attributed to smoking in bed? How does that compare with figures from previous years? Were there any injuries or deaths? What was the damage? Who owned the home? Does the occupant or the owner have insurance on the house? Will charges be filed against the smoker? Was there anything unusual about this case that would cause suspicion? Who cares? ith this information in hand, a reporter can begin writing the story using a summary lead and in W the inverted pyramid format. Ready to write Start by looking over your notes. Who? The homeowner, Henry Smith, 29 What? Fire caused damages estimated at about $2,500, according to the fire chief Where? 1705 W. Haven St. 5 When? ) fire dept. dispatcher received call @ 10:55 p.m. Tuesday a b) FFs from Station 19 arrived @ scene @ 11:04 p.m. c) Fire extinguished by 11:30 p.m. Why? The fire was started by carelessness on the part of Smith, according to Fire Chief Bill Malone. How? Smith told fire officials that he fell asleep while smoking in bed while he was watching a football game. Other comments about writing the lead/story: W HO: The age is important, along with other personal information such as address and occupation. Age is always written as a NUMERAL in AP Style. To use the fewest amount of characters, write the age after the name, offset with commas: Henry Smith, 29,... WHEN: These specific times are important to gather even if you don’t use them. They show whether or not the fire department responded quickly. WHY and WHY: To make a statement of fact such as this it MUST be attributed to the specific source as either a paraphrase (, according to …) or as a direct quote. I f you had asked other questions, and done some research, you might have learned more from the fire department or pubic records: T his was the eighth fire this year caused by smoking in bed. All last year there were four such fires. Smith said he had insurance. Smith said it was the first fire at this house. Smith was not injured. The fire chief said no charges would be filed against Smith. e will stop here so you can practice writing a brief story, or a “News Brief,” which you’ll learn about W in class. 6
