How to Write a Hard News Article
Organize your material according to the “inverted pyramid.” Assume that your reader will quit reading before they reach the end of your story., Write a strong lead., Give more background after the lead., Include a quote early on., Write short...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Organize your material according to the “inverted pyramid.” Assume that your reader will quit reading before they reach the end of your story.
Load the beginning of your article with the most essential facts so they still get the gist of it.
Imagine a pyramid flipped upside down, with its widest part is on top.
Aim to fill that space with all of the essentials, and then taper off with less relevant info as you reach the narrowest point at the bottom.The inverted pyramid is especially important for online content, since its readers are less likely to read a story in full.
Also, having the most relevant information at the beginning increases the story’s chances of popping in keyword searches.This technique is also referred as “front-loading.” -
Step 2: Write a strong lead.
Aim to hook your audience into reading further.
At the same time, provide them with a condensed version of the story right up front in case they move on.
Include the five W’s and one H in your first paragraph: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
To present the essence of the story all at once, address them all in the very first sentence (known as the “summary” or “hard news” lead).
To tantalize the reader into reading more, experiment by breaking them up over the first and second.Summary lead: “More than 200 firefighters fought a six-alarm fire that destroyed 36 homes and six businesses on Myrtle Avenue in the Ridgewood section of Queens late Sunday night.” Experimental lead: “Residents of Queens watched on in horror as more than 200 firefighters fought a six-alarm blaze in Ridgewood late Sunday night.
The fire tore through six buildings along Myrtle Avenue, destroying a half-dozen businesses and 36 overhead apartments.” ”Leads” may also be spelled as “ledes” in the news industry., Use your first paragraph to provide the most basic info.
From there, flesh out the story in more detail.
Continue presenting the facts in order of the most relevant.
For example:"What began as a grease fire in the kitchen of Tony’s Restaurant at 1411 Myrtle Ave quickly spread to neighboring buildings due to Sunday’s high winds." "The M train’s elevated tracks along this stretch of Myrtle Ave further impeded firefighters’ ability to access the burning rooftops." "The NYFD evacuated the entire block immediately upon arrival in case the blaze spread any further."
Give your reader someone to relate to.
Introduce a witness or source within the first few paragraphs.
Continue to pepper your story with the voices of people who played a part in and/or were directly affected by its events.
For example:“'I just got home from work and went straight to bed,' said Maria Sanchez, resident of 1421 Myrtle. 'Then all of a sudden my husband’s shaking me back awake and saying that the whole block is burning down.'” “'This is the worst fire this neighborhood has had in some time,' said Fire Commissioner Joseph Hernandez."
Remember that your reader is likely to skim the article before deciding on whether or not they will read it.Make your text easy to skim by avoiding long paragraphs.
Stick to a maximum of two sentences each, or even just a single sentence.To further avoid large blocks of text, keep your sentences short as well.
Use 30 words or less per sentence.
Rewrite any dependent clauses so that each one becomes its own sentence.Paragraphs may be referred to as “graphs” in news reporting. , Conclude your article with a quote or angle that fleshes the story out a little bit more.
However, make sure that this info isn’t critical for the reader to know in order to understand the whole story.
Expect the very end of your article to be cut to save space if need be.Reread the whole article, minus your last couple of paragraphs, to verify that it still makes sense without the additional info.
If key information is lost, rewrite the article to include that information toward the beginning.
An example of a fitting end that could be cut if needed: “‘My brother’s been letting me crash here with him after my last landlord sold my old building to developers,’ said Brian Guiliano, 27, whose brother, Vincent, lately resided right next-door to Tony’s Restaurant. ‘I don’t know where I’m supposed to go now.’” -
Step 3: Give more background after the lead.
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Step 4: Include a quote early on.
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Step 5: Write short paragraphs.
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Step 6: Finish with interesting but inessential info.
Detailed Guide
Load the beginning of your article with the most essential facts so they still get the gist of it.
Imagine a pyramid flipped upside down, with its widest part is on top.
Aim to fill that space with all of the essentials, and then taper off with less relevant info as you reach the narrowest point at the bottom.The inverted pyramid is especially important for online content, since its readers are less likely to read a story in full.
Also, having the most relevant information at the beginning increases the story’s chances of popping in keyword searches.This technique is also referred as “front-loading.”
Aim to hook your audience into reading further.
At the same time, provide them with a condensed version of the story right up front in case they move on.
Include the five W’s and one H in your first paragraph: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
To present the essence of the story all at once, address them all in the very first sentence (known as the “summary” or “hard news” lead).
To tantalize the reader into reading more, experiment by breaking them up over the first and second.Summary lead: “More than 200 firefighters fought a six-alarm fire that destroyed 36 homes and six businesses on Myrtle Avenue in the Ridgewood section of Queens late Sunday night.” Experimental lead: “Residents of Queens watched on in horror as more than 200 firefighters fought a six-alarm blaze in Ridgewood late Sunday night.
The fire tore through six buildings along Myrtle Avenue, destroying a half-dozen businesses and 36 overhead apartments.” ”Leads” may also be spelled as “ledes” in the news industry., Use your first paragraph to provide the most basic info.
From there, flesh out the story in more detail.
Continue presenting the facts in order of the most relevant.
For example:"What began as a grease fire in the kitchen of Tony’s Restaurant at 1411 Myrtle Ave quickly spread to neighboring buildings due to Sunday’s high winds." "The M train’s elevated tracks along this stretch of Myrtle Ave further impeded firefighters’ ability to access the burning rooftops." "The NYFD evacuated the entire block immediately upon arrival in case the blaze spread any further."
Give your reader someone to relate to.
Introduce a witness or source within the first few paragraphs.
Continue to pepper your story with the voices of people who played a part in and/or were directly affected by its events.
For example:“'I just got home from work and went straight to bed,' said Maria Sanchez, resident of 1421 Myrtle. 'Then all of a sudden my husband’s shaking me back awake and saying that the whole block is burning down.'” “'This is the worst fire this neighborhood has had in some time,' said Fire Commissioner Joseph Hernandez."
Remember that your reader is likely to skim the article before deciding on whether or not they will read it.Make your text easy to skim by avoiding long paragraphs.
Stick to a maximum of two sentences each, or even just a single sentence.To further avoid large blocks of text, keep your sentences short as well.
Use 30 words or less per sentence.
Rewrite any dependent clauses so that each one becomes its own sentence.Paragraphs may be referred to as “graphs” in news reporting. , Conclude your article with a quote or angle that fleshes the story out a little bit more.
However, make sure that this info isn’t critical for the reader to know in order to understand the whole story.
Expect the very end of your article to be cut to save space if need be.Reread the whole article, minus your last couple of paragraphs, to verify that it still makes sense without the additional info.
If key information is lost, rewrite the article to include that information toward the beginning.
An example of a fitting end that could be cut if needed: “‘My brother’s been letting me crash here with him after my last landlord sold my old building to developers,’ said Brian Guiliano, 27, whose brother, Vincent, lately resided right next-door to Tony’s Restaurant. ‘I don’t know where I’m supposed to go now.’”
About the Author
Carol Hill
Writer and educator with a focus on practical crafts knowledge.
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