THE INVERTED PYRAMID presentation

8/3/2019 THE INVERTED PYRAMID presentation

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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 whichyou start with the climax.

This story form is widely known as 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 newsvalue of whole sentences and paragraphs.

• The rest of the story should support and elaborate on thelede 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 toliterary 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 andends 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 thosedays, that kind of writing style wasgreatly assisted by the multipleheadlines accompanying the story.

With 5 to 10 headlines telling thereader what happened, the writer couldfeel free to take liberties with their style.The Chicago Tribune used 15 decks onits 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 style has been around for morethan 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 newssites, including the Chronicle, because many Websurfers 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 restsatop a series of paragraphs arranged in descending orderof importance. This movement from greater to lesserinformation can be demonstrated in a geometric shape – the pyramid. We’ll talk about other geometric story shapes

later. After the news summary lede, the subsequentinformation and quotes provide background andexplanation, 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 withthe paper. That’s not a lot of time -- especially when youhave 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 theimportant elements come first.

2. It’s backward; you give away the ―punchline‖at the top.

3. Can be somewhat formulaic; it gives morevalue 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 putinformation in logical order.

It forces the reporter to rank, in order of importance, theinformation 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 nutgraph.

Introduce the additional important information that you

were unable to put in the lede. This may be where thereporter 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, chronologyof events, clarify conflict, etc.

– Include information from all sides of an issue forfairness and balance. (If you have a GOP proposal,for example, get the Democratic response -- and viceversa.)

Continue introducing new information in the order youhave 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 explanationsand quotes.)



The IP Checklist

Try to use the ―one idea - one paragraph‖ method.

In newspapers and magazines that feature narrowercolumn 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 thereader.

– Type on the Internet is often narrow as well – so theycan 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 FireDepartment, said nine workers from the mailroom where the letterwas processed were quarantined until tests could determinewhether 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 butprovided no other details. The substance was sent to the TexasDepartment 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 asuspicious 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 orother 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 ortwo, 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 graphsome 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 angleas 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 endtheir 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 Linotypeoperators to mark the end of a line or to insert 30 points ofleading, or space, before the beginning of the next headline

on a page. The most popular theory is that ―30‖ originatedduring the Civil War, when many stories were transmittedby telegraph -- a ―30‖ was a telegrapher’s shorthand for

―end.‖



Very Helpful Links, Handouts

• Poynter writing tipshttp://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=31907&sid=2

• The Secret of Writing well and quickly

• How to Write a Short Story

• Pros and Cons of the Inverted Pyramidhttp://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=38693

• Inverted Pyramid in Cyberspacehttp://www.useit.com/alertbox/9606.htm

http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=31907&sid=2


http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=38693


http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9606.htm

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9606.htm







Next class

Review the ledes you wrote

Practice stories – (Luna, Cremeen)

Exercise for Grade

http://www.mycoursesite.com/mcgrath/Handouts/Session%205/Cremeenstory.pdf



http://www.mycoursesite.com/mcgrath/Exercises/invertedpyramidexercise.pdf

http://www.mycoursesite.com/mcgrath/Exercises/invertedpyramidexercise.pdf





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THE INVERTED PYRAMID presentation