News Story Writing
Assignment Outcomes:
Identify different types of news story kickers (endings)
Learn about the different ways to organize a news story - inverted pyramid, hourglass, list, etc.
Overview:
For this assignment, I was required to write a short inverted pyramid news story on the ban of handheld radar guns.
What is an inverted pyramid story:
An inverted pyramid story is a journalistic writing technique where the most important information comes first in the new story, followed by supporting details in decreasing order of importance. It’s the most common structure of news writing because it allows readers to quickly grasp the essential facts without having to read the entire article. This structure is designed for readers who may only skim the article, ensuring they get the key facts quickly. The downside of this technique is that readers may choose to not read past the first couple of sentences.
How it breaks down:
Lead (Top): The most crucial information — who, what, when, where, why, and how — is presented right at the beginning. This answers the key questions immediately.
Body: After the lead, the story includes supporting details that add context, background information, and quotes. These details are less important than the lead, but still important.
Ending (Bottom): The least important information goes last and often includes less crucial details or additional background information that could be cut without affecting the core story.
