Transcript THE INVERTED PYRAMID presentation - UHCL

THE INVERTED PYRAMID
Creating a News Story
The Inverted Pyramid
• Journalists don’t want their stories told from the
beginning of a news event.
– They focus on the end result, and then may go back
to the beginning.
– They like giving away the ending.
– They are more interested in the outcome.
• News writing is about the only form of writing in which
you start with the climax.
This story form is widely known as the inverted pyramid.
The Inverted Pyramid
• Ledes are mini-inverted pyramids as well.
– You analyzed the who-what-when-where elements
– Find the elements that are the most important or
compelling.
– You assign value to a few facts
• In the Inverted Pyramid, you will have to weigh the news
value of whole sentences and paragraphs.
• The rest of the story should support and elaborate on the
lede and also provide the information that didn’t make
the cut up top.
Some history …
How we got here
Some history
Until the early 1900s, newspaper writing was more akin to
literary prose. They wrote dispatches -- not stories. In 1869,
a reporter for the New York Herald, Henry Morton Stanley,
was sent to Africa in search of a missionary named Dr.
David Livingstone. Stanley’s story began thusly: Only two
months gone and what a change in my feelings! But two
months ago, what a peevish, fretful soul was mine! What a
hopeless prospect presented itself before your
correspondent! Stanley’s story continues on and on and
ends like this: “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” And he says,
“Yes.” How many readers today would have kept reading
long enough to find those two famous lines?
Some history
In this style of writing, the
significance of a story – the nut graph –
could be anywhere. Of course, in those
days, that kind of writing style was
greatly assisted by the multiple
headlines accompanying the story.
With 5 to 10 headlines telling the
reader what happened, the writer could
feel free to take liberties with their style.
The Chicago Tribune used 15 decks on
its report about Mrs. O’Leary and her
famous cow in the Great Fire of 1871.
Many stories started in one column and
just continued to the next column –
there were no “jump” pages.
Some history
The first newspaper photograph was printed in 1880, but
photos didn’t become commonly used until the early 1900s.
The advent of photos, changes in newspaper space
requirements and the changing lifestyles of the early 20th
century brought forth the need for a new type of writing
style – one that got to the point more quickly.
Thus, was born the inverted pyramid style. And like so
many trends in this business, it was copied and recopied
until it became a tradition and the norm.
The Inverted Pyramid
 The inverted pyramid style has been around for more
than 100 years and is still going strong.
 It is still widely used in newspapers and wire services.
 It is the style of choice on many, if not most, online news
sites, including the Chronicle, because many Web
surfers have itchy mouse fingers -- it’s even easier to
click a mouse than turn a page.
Here’s a visual on what an inverted pyramid story might
look like (from handout) …
The inverted pyramid: what it is
The inverted pyramid has a news summary lead that rests
atop a series of paragraphs arranged in descending order
of importance. This movement from greater to lesser
information can be demonstrated in a geometric shape –
the pyramid. We’ll talk about other geometric story shapes
later. After the news summary lede, the subsequent
information and quotes provide background and
explanation, present facts and color, explore other issues,
clarify conflict, speculate on cause and effect. The average
newspaper reader spends about 15-20 minutes a day with
the paper. That’s not a lot of time -- especially when you
have taken hours to write your story.
The inverted pyramid: Advantages
1. Offers quick reading
2. Features less repetition
3. Offers easier editing (easier to cut and paste)
4. Offers faster headline preparation
5. Easier to add to a story (as well as cut it)
6. Allows for faster writing of a story (can do it in
your head, from a phone booth even)
7. Offers a quick organizing tool
Inverted Pyramid: Disadvantages
1. This style doesn’t always encourage readers
to continue to the end of a story because the
important elements come first.
2. It’s backward; you give away the “punchline”
at the top.
3. Can be somewhat formulaic; it gives more
value to substance rather than style.
4. There’s less allowance for creativity.
PBS film
Going to war with the inverted
pyramid
How to do it
 News writing is not like writing a theme for English class.


– There’s no thesis sentence (well, there IS a nut
graph)
– There’s no conclusion.
The inverted pyramid is designed to help reporters put
information in logical order.
It forces the reporter to rank, in order of importance, the
information to be presented.
Just as there is a mental checklist for writing a lede, there
is also a checklist for writing the rest of an inverted pyramid
story:
The IP Checklist
 The lede or lede device that directs the reader to the nut
graph.
 Introduce the additional important information that you
were unable to put in the lede. This may be where the
reporter introduces the “who,” the “why”, the “how” and
the “what else happened” material.
 If possible, indicate the significance, or the “so-what”
factor
The IP Checklist
 Elaborate on the information presented in the lede.
– Give background on the issues, subjects, chronology
of events, clarify conflict, etc.
– Include information from all sides of an issue for
fairness and balance. (If you have a GOP proposal,
for example, get the Democratic response -- and vice
versa.)
 Continue introducing new information in the order you
have ranked it. Don’t forget the “what happens next”
angle if it’s significant.
The IP Checklist
 Develop the ideas in the order that you introduced them.
Avoid skipping around.
– Use direct and indirect quotes for color and
explanation.
– You may have “mini-inverted pyramids” or blocs of
related material within your story. (GOP view, followed
by several explanations and quotes; then the
Democratic view, followed by several explanations
and quotes.)
The IP Checklist
 Try to use the “one idea - one paragraph” method.
 In newspapers and magazines that feature narrower
column widths, the paragraphs are only one or two
sentences.
– The use of frequent paragraph breaks makes the
typography less gray and is less formidable to the
reader.
– Type on the Internet is often narrow as well – so they
can put all those ads on the side of the story.
A short exercise
Assemble these paragraphs into an inverted pyramid story. The
dateline is Austin. Simply arrange by the appropriate letter:
A. David Bailey, homeland security division chief for the Austin Fire
Department, said nine workers from the mailroom where the letter
was processed were quarantined until tests could determine
whether the powder was toxic.
B. The mailroom is in the State Insurance Building.
C. Gov. Rick Perry's office said the letter came from a prison inmate but
provided no other details. The substance was sent to the Texas
Department of State Health Services for testing.
D. Bailey said none of the workers became ill.
E. Authorities evacuated a state office building on Wednesday after a
suspicious powder was found in a letter sent to the governor's office.
A short exercise: How it ran (e, a, c, d, b)
AUSTIN — Authorities evacuated a state office building
on Wednesday after a suspicious powder was found in a
letter sent to the governor's office.
David Bailey, homeland security division chief for the
Austin Fire Department, said nine workers from the
mailroom where the letter was processed were quarantined
until tests could determine whether the powder was toxic.
Gov. Rick Perry's office said the letter came from a
prison inmate but provided no other details. The substance
was sent to the Texas Department of State Health Services
for testing.
Bailey said none of the workers became ill.
The mailroom is in the State Insurance Building.
Organizational options
 Use subheads as a way to introduce key transition points
 Be aware of what material is being used in graphics or
other display elements; there may be no need to repeat
the information
 Indicate optional or MUST material
 Are some elements best told in “bullet” form? (In other
action, the council: ….. ) If so, use parallel construction.
 Is some information important or “different” enough to be
broken out into a sidebar? (Analysis, a lot of reaction,
quotes, chronology, background, etc.)
Transition
Transition gives signposts to the reader, lets them know
where you are going and when you are switching gears.
Since most news-story paragraphs are only a sentence or
two, a story will often contain a series, or even multiple
series, of related paragraphs. Certain transition words help
string those graphs together, like stringing beads.
When the topic or subject changes, news writers need to
provide good transition so that the text flows smoothly.
Transition Hints
 Transition words that link: also, in addition, additionally,
moreover, furthermore
 Transition words that compare: in the same way,
likewise, similarly, as well as
 Transitions that contrast: although, but, however,
nevertheless, on the other hand, on the contrary
 Transitions that create emphasis: clearly, indeed, surely,
truly, certainly
Transition Hints
 Transitions that show cause and effect:
as a result,
consequently, therefore
 Transitions that show a relationship in time: afterward,
later, then, while, next, previously, during, since, before
 Transitions that sum up: finally, in conclusion, in short,
thus, to sum up
How to end
Some writers feel a compulsion to make their last graph
some sort of happy ending (They may have lost today, but
the Cougars will try again next week…).
Resist the urge. In general, when the story’s over, stop.
Many news writers find useful or creative ways to divert
from the strict inverted pyramid style – they put a good
quote at the end to serve as a “closer” or maybe they save
a juicy fact or observation that’s low on the importance
scale.
How to end: Example
Check this nice touch as an end graph to a story on the
commissioning ceremony for the submarine USS Texas:
The veterans, crew, families and other guests enjoyed a
light lunch after the ceremony under a giant pavilion.
They were served sodas, chip, and – of course –
submarine sandwiches.
How to end
 Another possible option is to use the what’s next angle
as a closer.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where it faces stronger
opposition. A vote there is expected Thursday.
These techniques are fine, but if you are going to put
something vital at the end, then you better warn your
copy editors because they often look at the end of a
story to make their first cuts.
How to end: Just FYI
Where did that 30 come from?
By the way, do you know why print journalists used to end
their stories with a “30”? Some say it was because an
“XXX” symbol was used at the end of early stories or was
used at the end of telegraphed articles and it evolved into
“30.” Some say it was a signal to the hot-lead Linotype
operators to mark the end of a line or to insert 30 points of
leading, or space, before the beginning of the next headline
on a page. The most popular theory is that “30” originated
during the Civil War, when many stories were transmitted
by telegraph -- a “30” was a telegrapher’s shorthand for
“end.”
Very Helpful Links, Handouts
• Poynter writing tips
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=3
1907&sid=2
• The Secret of Writing well and quickly
• How to Write a Short Story
• Pros and Cons of the Inverted Pyramid
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=3869
3
• Inverted Pyramid in Cyberspace
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9606.htm
Next class
Review the ledes you wrote
Practice stories – (Luna, Cremeen)
Exercise for Grade