Inverted Pyramid style of News Writing

● News writing is not narrative writing instead it is opposite of it. A

narrative prose writer places major emphasis on the end of the story,
carefully building up the climax.
● News writing is not story telling, first the most important information
is mentioned. What has happened is to be told first instead of how or
when.
● News writing style calls for short words, short sentences, short
paragraph and generous use of quotes.
● Long paragraphs and long sentences can reduce the interest of a
reader. News should be in simple language with short sentences
which is easy for a reader to comprehend.
 ● The newspaper conversion of lead (intro), makes it different from
other writings.
● Inverted pyramid style of news writing demands that in most
instances, the news story begins with its climax.
● Information should be presented in descending order of importance.

Lead should consist of:

● 30-35 words maximum
● Lead tells the most important information in the story and gives
specific facts

Second paragraph
● Expand or develop some idea introduced in the lead
● Should not drop the story into a chronological narrative
After incorporating the important fact of an event/ incident in the lead, the
second paragraph should have the next most important fact or detail. Then
the next important fact and so on till the least important phase of all.

● The most important element of story is given the greatest

prominence. As the most important element remains on the topmost
portion which is widest in an inverted pyramid.

● Steps followed in inverted pyramid

• 1st break : intro (five Ws and One H)
•2nd break : Explanatory details
•3rd break : Descriptive details
•4th break : Additional points
•Conclusion: Leaving the thread

Advantages of Inverted Pyramid

•1. Complete story idea is put in the lead

•2.Story can be edited from the bottom and makes no effect
•3. Giving headlines becomes easy
Disadvantages
1. Not good for people who love reading
2.Discourages habit of reading
3.Story seems to be never ending
4.Kills the excitement behind the story
The Basic Components of a News Story

All well-written new stories have most of the parts listed below. Competent journalists
know how to write each of these components into a cohesive whole.

Most basic news stories should have:

- A headline
- A lead (sometimes written lede)
- A backup quote
- Attribution
- Reaction
- A “nut graph”
- Background
- An ending

The Headline. The headline is seldom more than a one or two line summary of the contents of
the news story, in larger type, that tells readers what the story is about and whether (for a
particular reader) it is worth reading. Headlines have a telegraphic style and, because they
must fit a particular and very limited space that is usually not known at the time the news story
is being written, they are not usually written by the reporter.
Headlines act as an index of the contents of the newspaper, and a summary of the
information in its stories.

The Lead. The lead is usually defined as the first sentence of a news story, sometimes as the
first few sentences. If news stories have a beginning, a middle and an end, the lead is the
beginning. The lead on a hard news story is often called a summary lead. Lots of journalists
have their own definition of the ideal lead. Virtually all agree that a good hard- news lead
should contain the most important facts of the story — at least some of the Five Ws. Most
agree that the ideal lead is short — no more than 25 or 30 words. Leads should be “tight” —
that is, written with economy. Leads need to be interesting — their job is to entice readers into
reading the rest of the story. A news story with a strong lead is more likely to be read.

The Backup Quote. Most news stories, except the briefest of briefs, should have a backup
quote placed soon after the lead. Ideally, the backup quote — attributed to someone with
knowledge of the story — will sum up the claim made in the lead in a pithy, comprehensible
and entertaining way. The problem from the reporter’s point of view, of course, is that he
must accurately transcribe a genuinely illustrative quote. Not every interview subject can or
will provide a good backup quote. A good backup quote pithily explains what’s going on and
keeps the reader reading.

Attribution. All hard news stories require attribution, and even the softest of news stories
require some. Attribution is the explanation of the source of the information in the
news story. It is also the identification of who made the statements contained in quotes or
paraphrases of quotes. Attribution allows the reader to judge for herself whether the facts
set out in the story have merit. The best stories contain lots of quotes — and all quotes
have attribution. A news story without attribution is worthless.

Reaction. Most hard news stories, and all news stories that contain controversial
statements, should have reaction — the comments of someone who is familiar with the
situation written about, or of someone with an alternative view of the main thesis of the
story. If there has been a natural disaster in Ruritania, reaction should be sought from the
local Ruritanian community. If your community’s MP, a member of the opposition, slams
the government, a representative of the government should have the opportunity to
respond. Fairness requires reaction.

The Nut Graph. A nut graph informs readers of the focus of the story. It is usually
located in the top third of the story — near the beginning of the middle — and it states
the main point of the story. Lots of news stories must deal with complex topics and a
variety of ideas, but all good stories should focus on one key theme. Not every story
requires a nut graph — in a short, hard news story, the lead will serve the same purpose
as the nut graph. In a feature story with a softer lead, a nut graph is essential to set out
for the reader what is going on.

Background. Most stories need some background for the reader to understand what’s
going on. The history leading up to an event, the cast of characters, the value of the local
currency, the physical properties of water — all are examples of background. The more
complicated the story, the more pressing the need for background. Background helps
explain the action.

The Ending. Notwithstanding the notion of the Inverted Pyramid story — which in
theory can be cut anywhere — the most elegantly written stories come to a clear
conclusion that somehow ties the story up with a neat little bow. Sometimes writers end a
story with a reference to future action that is expected. (“The trial continues Monday.”)
Sometimes stories end with a new quote that summarizes what has happened. Good
endings often fall victim to heavy-handed editing. Still, they are worth the effort: Good
endings leave the reader with a feeling of satisfaction.

Summary

- All well-written stories have a beginning middle and an end.

- The beginning is known as the “lead,” pronounced lede.

- Well-written news stories typically contain such components as attribution,

reaction, background and an entertaining summation.

- Many news stories — especially those with a soft lead — require a “nut graph”
to sum up the point of the story.
Robert Gunning: Principles of clear writing,

Clear Writing
Principle 1
Keep sentences short
Sentences must vary in length to avoid boring your reader. But the
average length should be short. Fifteen to 20 words per sentence would
be a good average.

Sentences are getting shorter. Average shrinkage of sentences in

English prose from Elizabethan times to 1900 was from one-half to
two-thirds. The trend continues, although more slowly.

Short sentences are not enough by themselves. Long sentences are

not the chief cause of foggy writing. Fuzzy words block clarity.

Trim the fat from your writing. Fuzzy words, along with unnecessary
ones, make your writing difficult to read and understand.

Control sentence length by noticing the number of lines in each

sentence. A typewritten line, or a line in average handwriting, averages
10 to 12 words. Remember to vary sentence length, but worry about
those that run more than two lines.

Principle 2
Prefer the simple to the complex
This principle does not outlaw the use of a complex form. You need
both simple and complex forms for clear expression. At times, the
complex form may be best. So, if the right word is a big word, go
ahead and use it. But if a shorter word does the job, use it.

Of the 10 principles, complexity is the one most violated. Nearly anyone

facing a sheet of blank paper begins to put on airs. We use three words
where one would do. We can't resist the gingerbread of four-syllable
words. We write
"utilization" when we could just as well write "use," or "modification" when the
short word "change" would do.

Unconscious use of complexity is hard to overcome. The roots of the fault are
sunk deep in habit.

Writing shorter sentences usually means you use shorter words.

Principle 3
Prefer the familiar word

You need all the words you can master. Perhaps you can get along with a
working vocabulary of 5,000 words. But if you want to succeed in our
complicated society, you'll be better off with 30,000. However, intelligent
people use their large vocabulary only to give clear, exact meaning — never
to show off.

Big minds use little words; little minds use big words.

The most familiar words are 10 short ones: the, of, and, to, a, in, that, it, is, I.
They make up 25 percent of all that is written and spoken in English.

The 50 words most often used make up 50 percent of written English. The
1,000 most common words turn up 80 percent of the time and the 10,000
words most often used account for 98 percent of all that is written. Remember,
there are more than 500,000 words in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.

Principle 4
Avoid unnecessary words
Most letters can be cut in half and still say the same thing.

Unnecessary words usually are included unconsciously.

One minute spent organizing a mass of details will save several minutes in
its writing. Furthermore, a few minutes spent in going over copy and
correcting it will also pay off.
Principle 5
Put action in your verbs

"The fullback hits the line." That's writing with an active verb. "The line is
hit by the fullback." In this sentence the verb is passive. The electricity has
gone. The snap of action is no longer there. The same idea translated into
typical business jargon goes something like this: "The hitting of the line is an
activity engaged in by the player acting in the capacity of fullback."

It is better to say "the bull sprang into the sale ring" than to say he "came into
the ring quickly" or "came in with a quick jump."

Passive
Present design methods are predicated on the assumption that one-piece
windshields are preferred by the public.

Active
At present, designers assume the public prefers one-piece windshields.

Passive
When an application of wax is made to this surface a brilliance is imparted to
it.

Active
Waxing this surface brightens it.

Principle 6
Write like you talk

Some grammarians would insist that "write like you talk" is poor grammar.
They prefer "write as you talk." But this violates the rule "write like you talk."

"Write like you talk" has its limitations. Most of us do talk rather untidy English.
We repeat ourselves. We pause. We hesitate. However, in our speech we do
not use long, involved sentences laden with multi-syllable words that usually
occur in our writing.
"Write like you talk" also has its limitations when it comes to news writing.
Newspapers — many at least — still prefer that news stories be written in
inverted pyramid style and in an impersonal manner.

Principle 7
Use terms your reader can picture

Avoid fuzzy words. "Conditions," "situations," "facilities," "inadequacies" are

typical examples.

An engineer might say an alloy is "not fabricable." This is a general term that
might mean several things. When asked for a more specific meaning, the
engineer might say "the alloy cracks when it is cold-rolled."

Principle 8
Tie in with your reader's experience
Much communication fails because writers ignore readers' beliefs, ignore how
they came by them, and how firmly they hold them.

Words are not fixed. They vary in meaning from person to person, the
meaning depending upon the experience of that person and the pictures the
words call to mind.

Highly abstract terms often are useful for thinking, but they are tricky in
communication because they are open to such wide interpretation.

In trying to persuade readers to accept your words, remember that the

meaning they give them will be determined entirely by their past experience
and purposes.

To get your words read, understood and accepted, you must have a clear
understanding of your own purposes and of the purposes of the reader. If
these purposes differ, you have two courses for winning acceptance of your
message. You must either change your readers' purpose, or you must show
them that though your purposes differ in part, they have, at the same time,
much in common.

In writing, don't get lost in details.

It isn't enough to write so you will be understood. You must write so you can't
be misunderstood.
Principle 9
Make full use of variety
The style of your writing will grow as you grow.

If you get "caught" writing simply, you have failed. Good writers work within a
strict discipline of simplicity. But they introduce enough variety of sentence
length, structure, and vocabulary so that the simplicity is not noticed. As a
result, readers never think the writing is choppy or childish.

Variety is a main ingredient in the art of writing. Only practice can lead to the
facility that produces variety. Being aware of the point, however, helps one
gain facility more rapidly.

Principle 10
Write to express, not impress
A trap awaits the inexperienced writer. In the unaccustomed medium of the
written word, we often try to impress rather than express. We try to be
someone else.

No writing is easy. But we make it more difficult by seeking out long,

unfamiliar words, and in writing long, meandering sentences.

The chance of striking awe by means of big words is small. Readers have
almost rid themselves of the yoke of past years. Few are fooled by fanciness
in language. It's been a long time since any of us have heard anyone say, "I
can't understand what he is saying; he must be highly intelligent."

Don't be awed by the rules of grammar. Pay attention to clear expression, and
for the most part grammar will take care of itself.