Writing The News: Straight News

The lead, also known as the lede, should focus on the newest information and/or the future. This means that the introductory paragraph of a news article or story should highlight the most recent developments or provide a glimpse into what is expected to happen next. By doing so, the lead captures the reader's attention and sets the tone for the rest of the piece. It ensures that the most relevant and up-to-date information is presented first, making it easier for readers to stay informed.

Straight news always begins with the most important facts and most interesting details.

The inverted pyramid style is a method of organizing news articles where the most important information is presented at the beginning, followed by supporting details in descending order of importance. This style allows readers to quickly grasp the main points of the news story, even if they only read the first few paragraphs. Therefore, it is correct to say that straight news is written using the inverted pyramid style.

The lead is ALWAYS in the first or first and second paragraph when writing straight news.

Following the Inverted Pyramid, the least important information can be found in the last paragraph; so that information can be cut first. The editor needed more space will typically cut information by starting at the end of a news story.

Subjectivity and opinion should NEVER be present in news writing, as they reveal bias and take away from a news writer's credibility. Save this for a well-written opinion piece.

More detail introduces another's opinion that will be stated in that person's quote; or introduces a factual claim by an eye witness or expert; it is NOT an introduction to the writer's opinion--as the writer remains objective in a news story.

The two main types of news writing are straight news and feature news. Straight news refers to objective and factual reporting of current events, providing the essential information in a concise and direct manner. On the other hand, feature news involves more in-depth reporting, often focusing on human interest stories, analysis, and storytelling techniques to engage the readers and provide a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Straight news is ALWAYS facts without elaboration; feature news has an economy of expression, yet has a more creative style, personal slant (not non-fiction) and memorable crafting with narration.

Inverted Pyramid: Main Facts; More Detail; Quote tied to previous paragraph; More Detail; Quote tied to previous paragraph; Additional Comment; Etc.