The information that you get from personal sources needs to be handled correctly so that it satisfies the source, the audience and the demands of journalism. One of those demands is that we tell readers where information is coming from that means attribution.
The inverted pyramid. The inverted pyramid is an anti-narrative structure of writing about events. Instead of starting at the beginning, the inverted pyramid structure demands that you begin with the most important information and that you present information in decreasing order of importance.
Some historians argue that the inverted pyramid form developed in the midth century when news was first being transmitted by telegraph wires. The wires were unreliable — or during the Civil War would be taken over by the military — so a style of presentation had to be used that would get the most important information out first.
The outcome of a battle might be the most important thing that happened during the battle. But rather than writing a narrative that delayed telling what happened until the very end, the journalist had to say it at the beginning of the report. Today the inverted pyramid structure is highly developed and widely used, not just in newspapers and wire services but in many kinds of writing.
Many business letters, for instance, use an inverted pyramid structure to tell the recipient immediately what the most important information is. The most important part of an inverted pyramid news story is the lead paragraph.
Front loading your readers helps to keep them more engaged. If you start them off with a boring pieces of content from the beginning they will not be interested. This is a no brainer. In order to keep readers happy and engaged you have to drip feed those interesting details that will want to make them continue reading the article. Tease your audience and give them a little bit at a time.
This will help to build anticipation and interest for the reader. But others consider it a shallow form of writing because of the lack of depth and they believe it fails to add creativity in writing.
Critics also believe that the inverted pyramid style of writing shifts facts around with the sole intention of gaining attention. Journalists and critics also believe that the inverted pyramid style of writing is outdated, boring and suppresses creativity in the natural tone of writing because it focuses mainly on facts and catchy headlines.
If you are a journalist or content creator that is in search of making your content more exciting and engaging to your readers, you should consider using the inverted pyramid methodology. A successful lead paragraph communicates, on a basic level, the essential facts of who did what, when, where, and why. These are added to the article in order of importance, so that the least important items are at the bottom.
The inverted pyramid structure is the product of an old media technology—the telegraph. When news outlets would telegraph information over the wires, it made sense to use the inverted pyramid because the most vital information in the story was transmitted first. In the event of a lost connection, whoever received the story could still print the essential facts. The inverted pyramid structure also benefits editors. None permit 'implied consent' for vaccines.
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Chip Scanlan. Chip Scanlan is an affiliate faculty member at The Poynter Institute. From , he taught reporting and writing in its real and virtual classrooms and…. Poynter Power Rankings: Who influenced the media this week?
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