What You Need to Know about Journalism

In news writing, journalists follow a pattern or structure known as the “inverted pyramid." It is a metaphor used to illustrate the structure and format of how information should be arranged according to priority. The inverted pyramid format structures the lead, body and additional information in a hierarchical organization. It is called "inverted style" as it is an upside down format that places the most important data at the largest section and the top and the least being in the smaller sections and at the bottom.

Pieces of information are connected, constructed and divided into a rank of descending format of three sets with the most important aspects and the most fundamental information being placed at the top of the inverted pyramid. The top signifies the role of being the number one priority containing the lead, most newsworthy information and provides answers to the 5W questions “who, what, when, where and why” and “how.”

The most important information should serve as the head, the supporting details should serve as the body and the least important data should serve as the tail. This is what journalists usually follow when constructing news reports, articles or news stories – it is not a mere illustration or image that presents all information displayed on the paper but a draft for the journalist to have a guide in categorizing the most important data and that of the least, and with what will be included in the news story.

The main and fundamental points such as the 5Ws and 1H are placed in the forefront and the details which broadens and gives further explanation are arranged logically and placed in the body and the background and least important but informative (nice to include) pieces of information are placed last.

The flow and sequencing of data must be comprehensible and logical – that of which the writer must always put in mind so as to provide accuracy, make the readers make sense of what they have read, bring forth enlightenment and to avoid confusion.

Then follows the subsequent pieces of information such as supporting details which are additional but not entirely fundamental and placed below the lead and the third set which is the least important data that is nice to know (minor/background info), closes the story and is placed at the bottom. This style and format of news writing is usually used by journalists because it serves as a guide in how the pieces of information should be organized and categorized in order to make it a complete and holistic article.

Writing articles is not easy – journalists need to follow rules and must heed to the qualities of news in order to have a guide and to establish the journalistic and ethical approach of gathering, writing and reporting news stories. These distinct qualities are used as a basis not only in how a report should be delivered but also in judging the standard and merit of the report:

·       Accuracy – The pieces of information and the details must be precise, truthful and specific. The evidence provided must support the purpose and objective of the article and must be authentic as the main goal is to inform. The sources provided must also be authentic and relevant to the new coverage where information is supplied based from experiences and perspective. The credibility of the news report is the driving force that encourages the choices, decisions and knowledge of the people, thus, factual information must always be provided in order for the community to become well-informed and to help them with their decisions. 

·       Balance – Complete news coverage is a product of proficient summary of the overall aspects being selected and arranged to provide a balanced view of the entirety of the news coverage. In order to write fairly, the journalist must put in mind that there are pieces of information that need to be disclosed, pieces of information that must be emphasized and that the report must be liberate from bias (no favoritism). There are two sides of the story and the journalist’s role is to provide information from both sides in a balanced and fair way so as to avoid stirring wrong impressions.

·       Objectivity – Journalists should provide all information free from objectivity and must present the report in a natural manner whether they agree or not, whether they like it or not and whether they support it or not. Their feelings and opinions are not part of the news coverage, their aim is to supply factual information to help the audience decide and to make up their mind on the certain situation or event. The news coverage must be free from any influence that aims to disrupt or manipulate the authentic flow and structure of the information.

·       Concise  & Clear – The report must be brief but direct to the point and logically coherent. The audience does not have all the time in the world, thus, the most important and relevant information must be delivered concretely – without going into circles just to lengthen the point or extend the message. The idea must be conveyed using the fewest words possible and enough for readers’ comprehension – words used must be clear and simple/easy to understand.

·       Current/Recent – This is the element of time in news and time is the essence of news. Since there are issues, situations and events simultaneously happening, journalists need to cover newsworthy and most important information up to date. In order to inform the public about the current situations and upcoming agendas, the journalist must report them on time. The newest affairs, political debates, weather forecasts and everything that is up to date, recent or new must all be covered in the news.