Inverted pyramid writing

The most basic form of journalistic writing is the inverted pyramid. Here's how to write an inverted-pyramid-style story for clarity and information.

1. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
NEWS WRITING

2. SO THE WRITER WHO BREEDS
MORE WORDS THAN HE NEEDS,
IS MAKING A CHORE
FOR THE READER WHO READS.
Dr. Seuss
THE INVERTED PYRAMID

3. CONCISENESS
IS THE SISTER OF TALENT.
Anton Chekhov
THE INVERTED PYRAMID

4. THE ABILITY TO SIMPLIFY
MEANS TO ELIMINATE THE UNNECESSARY
SO THAT THE NECESSARY MAY SPEAK.
Hans Hofmann
THE INVERTED PYRAMID

5. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
THE HALLMARKS OF THE INVERTED PYRAMID
▸Quick
▸Convenient
▸Easy to write
▸Easy to update
The most ‘formulaic’ 

of journalistic writing styles.

6. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
DISTINCTIVE FORMAT
▸The lede: The MOST IMPORTANT
element(s) of the story
▸The body: Includes
BACKGROUND information and
credible, relevant SOURCES
▸As the story proceeds, details
become LESS IMPORTANT or
newsworthy
MOST IMPORTANT
LEAST IMPORTANT

7. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
STARTS WITH THE IMPORTANT JOURNALISTIC QUESTIONS
▸WHO is involved in the news?
▸WHAT is happening or about to happen?
▸WHEN will it happen?
▸WHERE will it occur?
▸WHY is it important? Why should readers care?
▸HOW will it work?

8. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
QUESTIONS TIE IN WITH ELEMENTS OF NEWS*
▸WHO = PROMINENCE
▸WHAT
▸WHEN = TIMELINESS
▸WHERE = PROXIMITY
▸WHY = IMPACT/CONSEQUENCE or CONFLICT
▸HOW
*You must decide
which element 

is THE MOST
IMPORTANT.

9. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
STARTS WITH A GREAT HEADLINE
▸Subject—Verb—Object format
▸Summarizes the news “peg”

10. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
STARTS WITH A GREAT HEADLINE
▸Administrators enact new dress code
policy

11. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
STARTS WITH A GREAT HEADLINE
▸Administrators enact new dress code
policy
▸Students revolt against new dress code
policy

12. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
STARTS WITH A GREAT HEADLINE
▸Administrators enact new dress code
policy
▸Students revolt against new dress code
policy
▸S.W.A.T. team called in to squash dress
code rebellion

13. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
INCLUDES A GREAT LEDE
▸Thirty-five words or fewer
▸Includes the most important
news elements
▸BONUS: If the FIRST SIX
WORDS reveal the news peg
FUN FACT
The spelling of
‘LEDE’ started in
the1950s. It was
first used in
instructions to
printers, in order
to distinguish the
word from text to
be printed.

14. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
LEDE EXAMPLES
Players’ music selections must be
approved prior to playing them at school
sporting events, according to Charles
Breithaupt, Leaguetown High School
athletics director.

15. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
LEDE EXAMPLES
Injuries to key players could hinder the
tournament chances for the Leaguetown
High School football team, which won its
Sectional match on Oct. 23 against second-
ranked Georgetown High School, 44-13.

16. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
LEDE EXAMPLES
Students may no longer wear hats and
midriff-revealing clothing at Leaguetown
High School, after the school board voted
tonight in favor of a new, stricter dress
code policy…

17. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
CONTINUES WITH INFO TO EXPAND ON LEDE
…The board voted 5-2 in favor of the measure,
which Principal John Ross originally proposed
two months ago in response to, he said,
“continual problems with distracting clothing
that disrupted the learning environment.”
“I strongly suggest you pass this measure,” Ross
said to the board before the vote. “We need to
have a more definitive policy so students know
exactly the expectations we have of them
before they come in the door.”
EXPERT
SOURCE
Typically an adult,
this person is
both credible and
relevant to the
story.

18. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
GIVES ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND
According to school records and Ross,
administrators dealt with 18 incidents involving
clothing issues in the past six months.
The specifics of the new dress code include
requiring students to wear “tuckable” shirts and
no pants that reveal undergarments. Skirts and
shorts must be no higher than two inches
above the knee, and hats and head coverings,
including scarves, are prohibited. The new
policy will go into effect with the beginning of
the next school year.
THINK LIKE 

YOUR
AUDIENCE
What information
would a reader/
listener need to
know about this
newsworthy
event? Do your
homework to find
answers to those
questions.

19. THE INVERTED PYRAMID
CONTINUES WITH MORE DETAILS
The vote wasn’t met without conflict. Several
students, including Student Body President
Mary Callahan, spoke to the board before the
vote, urging it to reconsider its passage.
“The clothing students wear is not distracting,”
Callahan said. “The majority of students choose
wisely when it comes to the clothes they wear
each day. This measure is simply a knee-jerk
reaction to the repeated problems of a few. We
don’t need a policy to further restrict our rights.”
MAIN ‘FACE’
Typically a
student (for a
student
publication), this
person has been
affected by the
news.
THE END
When in doubt,
end with a quote
from one of your
sources.