Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How
Journalism today is weak and wimpy. When a reporter fails to quickly answer who, what, when, where, why and sometimes how; the story is useless. Just because the Internet does not have the space constraints of a printed newspaper does not mean the traditional form of reporting information has become obsolete.
Once upon a time, news was disseminated by printing onto over-sized paper. We called these newspapers. Producing a newspaper was expensive, and editors were forced to make decisions about what would, and would not, be put into an issue. A strategy in straight reporting was to address who, what, when, where, why and sometimes how at the beginning of a news story. Important details and other information were added further down the story. Background information was put at the end of a story. If space was limited, this made it possible to simply cut off the bottom of a story without affecting the main tenets of the report. When I was a student, this cutting off the bottom of a story was literal. The reporter's words were printed on strips of paper that were exactly the width of a column, and if the story did not fit, you cut the bottom off with scissors before pasting the copy onto a template of the full page. When the template was full, it was routed to the photo shop for the next step in the printing process. While this seems like the kindergarten "cut and paste" method of printing, it forced writers, editors and printers to work together. If a reporter failed to use the inverted pyramid style, important information would be lost to the public. No doubt the professional newspaper business of today works the same, but they just uses word processors and typesetting software instead of scissors and glue.
Why does this matter? Well, today, anyone can self-profess as a "journalist". This blog is a prime example of anyone being able to spill goop onto the digital heap. The only barrier to being able to publish on the Internet is ... well next to nothing. Other than high school, when I won first place in news writing at a regional contest, I have no formal training as a journalist, but here I am lecturing on the topic. However, from much of what I see presented as news on the Internet, it seems to be generated by people without any training. If your going to play the role of a journalist, please at least research the basics of the profession.
Let's begin with who, what, when, where and why. These five things are placed at the beginning of your story. Preferably, in the first paragraph or two. If done well, a reader can look at the first paragraph of a story, glean the main points, and then decide to continue or stop. Now if you're holding back these items to force people to read further down the page, probably to generate advertising revenue, then you are not a journalist. Maybe a smart business person, but not a journalist. The primary function of journalism is to report the pertinent information about the interesting goings-on in the world. Income is necessary, but I dare you to find a competent daily reporter who is rich. Note that wealthy anchors are rarely reporters, so want to be rich go into some other profession, not reporting. Reporting is one of those special careers that is respected for its contributions to society, not for its ability to generate a high salary. Long gone are the notions that high character and accuracy are top tier virtues.
May 29, 2023
Inverted pyramid (journalism) -- Wikipedia
Can You Trust Mainstream Media? YouTube, vlogbrothers
"Just once how I'd like to see the headline say, 'Not much to print today, can't find nothing bad to say'"