Journalism and Media Writing
The inverted pyramid * Writer your content in a way that starts with the most important thing * Move to the second most important thing * Then the third most important thing and so on * Descending order of importance * Lead shows the main point * The second paragraph provides details that elaborate on the lead * Additional paragraphs reveal details in descending order of importance * Know when to stop * As you examine each fact, see how it relates to the lead, and determine if it fits * If you don't include enough information. You will leave your readers confused If you keep adding content for no reason, you will create bored and disinterested readers. * DATELINE= WHERE STORY ORIGINATED
Advantages of the inverted pyramid * Its the most efficient way of transmitting information *All facts are presented immediately *Editors can easily shorten by removing bottom details * All forms of media use it - newspaper, PR, Web, radio and television
Disadvantages of the pyramid * The lead summarizes the content, facts are often repeated * Surprises are rare because the lead referrals most of them * It locks reporters into a formula Chronological order Events appear in the story in the sequence in which they occurred * Often used in feature stories * Helps recount first-person details provided by the witness * Often begin with a narrative - rather than a summery - lead The Narrative style *The writer is a storyteller * Requires the writer to find people who are affected by the story * The writer must observe the scene in order to report in the narrative style * It should lead with the news told through setting a scene or providing an anecdote then switch to chronology, flashbacks, dialogue or other storytelling devices Advantages of the narrative style * It allows writers to be more creative * If done well, detail can make your story more appealing and compelling * It works well for personality profiles
Disadvantages of narrative style
* It requires planning ahead * It requires more time to write * You cannot write in the narrative style without sufficient deta