Organizing A News Story

1. Organizing A News Story Lead, body and conclusion

2. Inverted Pyramid • The most commonly used structure. • 5 Ws and H • Better to use direct quote as early as possible. • The article should end with news, though the least imp, i.e. the effective way to conclude without saying “the end”. • Story could still be trimmed from bottom without sacrificing key elements.

3. Lead • Tells the reader the main info and the focus of the story. • Short. • Usage of colorful words, where possible, keeps the interest and pushes the reader to keep on reading.

4. The Body of the Story • From second to last paragraph: news in order of descending importance. • No chronology, and No surprise ending. • Each paragraph further explains, compliments, or supports the paragraph before it. • Stronger quotes as early as possible to tie readers to key source.

5. Transitions used throughout the story to introduce additional sources. • Flow of story must move effortlessly from place to place, source to source. • The body could be short or lengthy, but the imp thing to include: news, paraphrases, direct quotes from various sources, background, transitions, additional facts, etc…

6. Conclusion • Writers do not conclude news stories by saying “the end” or inserting editorial comment to wrap things up. • Simply quit writing after reporting all the pertinent info in the allocated space. • Often conclude with direct quotation , letting a source talk directly to the readers.

7. The quotation should tie readers emotionally to the story, reminding them that the writing has ended but the story and the people involved in it are not. • Final paragraphs can also report additional facts, imp to story, interesting, but not as imp as earlier facts, like details or archive material.

8. Organizing Inverted Pyramid: Guidelines to Follow • Lead • Background • Descending Importance • Quotations • Transitions • DO NOT editorialize • Avoid “The End”

9. Lead • Write a terse lead: brief, no more than 35-50 words giving the major news. • Then a second paragraph with major sides of news event that wouldn’t fit in opening paragraph.

10. Background • Use third or another early paragraph, and more paragraphs if necessary, to provide explanatory background. • Comes either from a source, or an expert, or the reporter (who has reported on the same issue or previous episode of this event) to make a story clearer. • Even breaking news need it. • If you have more than one major element, use wrap-up background paragraphs high up, then develop each one later.

11. Descending Importance • Continue reporting with most important elements high up and working your way down to the less important. • Inverted pyramids are seldom chronological. If necessary, then you’d use “the hourglass” style (explained later).

12. Quotations • Introduce direct quotations after audience has been given major news & background. • Separate direct quotations by supplementary news and paraphrases. • Sprinkled throughout the story instead of stringing them together. • Remember: Quotations let people in the news communicate directly to the audience.

13. Transitions • A paraphrase, background paragraph, paragraph with additional news or even direct quotation used as transition to move smoothly with reader. • Alerts to audience that a shift or change is coming up. • Could make the link numerically, by time, geographically, or with conjunctive words (first, second,… three hours later,… in parallel street,… meanwhile, therefore, however,…).

14. Do Not Editorialize • Reporters are eyewitnesses to news. • Should NOT include their personal opinion (this jeopardizes objectivity, accuracy & credibility). • If you think something is so “good” or so “bad”, then let direct quotations from people involved in story support your senses, or shed light on an element that you think is problematic.

15. Avoid “The End” • Continue reporting until the last word. • Stories do not end when you finish writing, just here & right now. • An effective way to conclude a news story is with a direct quotation or additional facts.

16. Alternatives to Inverted Pyramid • Hourglass style • Circle style • Block style • Feature leads • Ending with a twist

17. Hourglass style • Often used by reporters covering trials or police and fire news • Major news still come in the first few paragraphs • Those first paragraphs still employ Inverted Pyramid style • Then.. Comes a TURN: a transitional paragraph to introduce the chronology of events. • After the turn, details flow in chronological order.

18. Advantages of Hourglass • Imp news are presented high up • Writer takes advantage of the narrative • Most imp info repeated in narrative so readers really absorb it. • Unlike the top-heavy Inverted Pyramid, it has a balanced structure. • Keeps readers in story & leads to a real conclusion.

19. Circle style • Popular for feature stories (e.g. Nahr El-Bared feature). • “Coming full circle”: starting with a scene built around an event or key source. • Descriptive writing draws readers in, provided the writer knows where to “cut”, and go back to the main event.

20. Advantages of Circle • Writer can enjoy the free and playful language of narrative and descriptive writing. • Readers can attach to a key source, feeling that story is also about broader topic. • Not top-heavy like Inverted Pyramid. • Story flows. • Effective storytelling: keeps readers interested till the end.

21. Block style • Can be used on news or feature. • Common for stories with wider (U.S. national) focus. • Made up of a number of mini-stories. • Ends with one of the key characters or mini-stories. • Doesn’t have to “come back full circle”. • Advantage: mini-stories told separately. • Disadvantage: readers might not get to the end & will never hear from some sources (e.g. Iraqi refugees story).

22. Feature leads • It’s not uncommon to see news stories with feature leads, after which the info starts pouring probably in the Inverted Pyramid form. • However, writers should be VERY careful. Weigh the risks of jeopardizing clarity and priorities of major story elements (e.g. Hariri explosion).

23. Ending with a Twist • Some news story do not have to end with the least imp news element or with background. • Again, NOT for every news story. Serious/dramatic/fatal topics are better off with Inverted Pyramid endings.

24. However… • Newspapers do not ONLY publish serious/breaking news stories. • They portray all sorts of news, softer ones too. • Those events open the door for alternative writing styles.