SC Inverted Pyramid

Gathering information — who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Inverted Pyramid — the order of your story where the most important information comes at the beginning of the story. Most important information to least important information.

Lead — The first paragraph/sentence in your story.

Lead Styles — Six different types of styles. Three that we will focus on.

Five W’s and one H

Your lead should focus on who, what, where, and when.

Straight News Lead — Most commonly used. Just the facts. One sentence long and 25–35 words.

Summary Lead — Used when more than one fact is important to the story. One sentence and 30 words.

Blind Lead — Used when you do not need to use someone’s name in the first sentence. Do not use a name in the first sentence unless it is a celebrity or well-known person. Description in the first paragraph, name in the second. Around 30 words.