Inverted Pyramid Style This material is the property of the

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Inverted Pyramid Style
This material is the property of the AR Dept. of
Ed. It may be used and reproduced for non-profit,
educational purposes only after contacting the
ADE Distance Learning Center. AG ER
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All stories have shapes The reporters job is to
decide which shape is best for the story
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Inverted pyramid style Goes from most
interesting information to least interesting
information.
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Chronological style Tells the story from
beginning to end, using fiction techniques.
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Section style Told in parts, such as
different time frames, points or view, or as
chapters in a narrative
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Inverted pyramid style is the most common way to
write a news story.
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• The story is shaped this way
• Most important info in the lead
• Next most important info in the second paragraph
• Least most important info at the end

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Once it is written, the story is shaped like
this
Lead
Details
Less impt. details
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Heres an example of an inverted pyramid news
story A 16-year-old West High School
sophomore is in critical condition today at River
City Hospital after being treated for smoke
inhalation at his home last night.
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Joe Smith, son of Bob and Carol Smith of 116
Travis Lane, was overcome by smoke in the family
garage about 8 p.m. after pouring carbon solvent
into the carburetor intake of his car, according
to a hospital spokesman. He was discovered by
his parents, who called an ambulance.
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All of the information is not used in the lead of
the story. If we were to label what is in the
lead, it would look like this
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who
what
A 16-year-old West High School sophomore is in
critical condition today at River City Hospital
after being treated for smoke inhalation at his
home last night.
where
why
when
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Emphasizing the Ws and H A lead may begin
with any of the who, what, when, where, why and
how, depending where the reporter wants to place
emphasis.
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Emphasis on who The Yorktown High School
Football Booster Club is having its bookkeeping
files investigated by the Yorktown School
District.
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Emphasis on what An investigation into the
bookkeeping files of the Yorktown High School
Football Booster Club has begun by the Yorktown
School District.
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Emphasis on when Late yesterday afternoon,
the Yorktown School District opened an
investigation into the bookkeeping files of the
Yorktown High School Football Booster Club.
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Emphasis on where Yorktown High School in
Smith County is having its Football Booster Club
bookkeeping files investigated by the school
district.
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Emphasis on why Because of irregular
spending practices, the Yorktown School District
has opened an investigation into the bookkeeping
files of the Yorktown High School Football
Booster Club.
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Emphasis on how A full-scale audit and
investigation for the past six months will be
conducted on the bookkeeping files of the
Yorktown High School Football Booster Club, the
school district announced yesterday.
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Another example of inverted pyramid style Ben
Davis, 85, of 345 Benson St., was killed in an
automobile accident on Warner Road about 130
p.m. Sunday, according to the Arkansas State
Police.
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Davis, a Hot Springs farmer, was killed when his
car left the road and struck a tree two miles
east of town on Warner Road, police said.
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Same story, written in chronological style
Today at 130 p.m., Ben Davis, who is a farmer at
345 Benson St., was driving home on Warner Road.
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He was two miles east of town when his car went
off the road and hit a tree. Davis, 85, was
killed instantly, according to a hospital
spokesman. He was pronounced dead on arrival at
the hospital.
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Why is inverted pyramid style used? It allows
the reader to read only the lead and know most of
the important information.
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It allows the editor to cut the least important
information from the bottom of the story and not
worry about leaving out anything of great
importance.
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How did inverted pyramid style begin? During the
Civil War, telegraph wires relaying news were
sometimes cut by opposing sides. As a result, war
correspondents began using the most important
part of the story first.