The Inverted Pyramid
What is an inverted pyramid in Journalism?
An upside-down pyramid that starts with less significant facts at the top or widest part and as it narrows towards the bottom the facts become more important.
What global news organization is famous amongest journalists, for straightforward nonsense writing?
The Associated press.
What is the point of a lead?
To give the reader the gist of the story whilst also making them want to keep reading.
What are the steps in the Writing Process in Journalism?
Prewriting, First-Draft Stage, Revising/Editing Stage
Should effective leads be long or short?
Short
How do you decide which facts go first?
You have to use your news judgement.
What type of leads are the Associated press known for writing?
Short and to the point leads, filled with information.
(Summary – leads or “AP”)
What level of detail should be included when writing a lead?
No details should be included, just the general ide of the story.
What does the Pre-Writing Stage involve?
It involves gathering and organizing information?
What approach should be used sparingly?
The Quote Lead and the Question Lead.
What feature does a properly organized inverted-pyramid have?
It can be cut from from the bottom up.
What should leads be no matter what type they are?
Smooth, Concise, readable, and interesting.
What factor prevents a lead from being biased to any one way of thinking?
Objectivity
What does the Revising/Editing Stage involve?
You have to spend some time looking at what you have done wrong and what you have said and how you said it.
What punctuation mark should you avoid?
Exclamation points
What types of stories won’t be able to follow this pattern?
The story that has a surprise at the end and feature and in-depth stories.
As the newspapers shift their fouces from hard to soft news, what two elements start to drop in importance?
The use of the Inverted- pyramid and summary leads.
Why is it important to have a creative lead?
To truly intrigue the reader and make sure they keep reading.
What happens in the First-Draft Stage?
You have to follow the plan and order you worked out earlier.
What should straight-news stories never do?
Unfold chronologically
Why is the inverted-pyramid style used?
It is the natural way to tell a story, it enables the reader to get the most information in the shortest amount of time, it’s an aid for the headline writer, and it makes it easier to trim a story that won’t fit into its alloted space.
What is the formula used by beginner journilist when writing plain-vanilla stories?
News, followed by attribution, then verb, subject, and time element.
Write a lead based on this snippet: A Floridian man stopped breaking into a car to safely deliver the baby inside from the heat. He then proceeded to continue stealing the car and drive off
Florida man breaks into car safely returns baby inside, then makes his getaway.
Which stage involves finding who, what, when, where, and why?
The Pre-writing Stage
What is the problem with using the word “your” in a lead?
It puts the writer in the story and should be reserved for direct quotes and editorials.