Inverted triangle or inverted pyramid style is one of the most popular and common styles of writing in journalism. This technique uses the formula of 5W’s & 1H that is:
Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
When you write a news article in the inverted pyramid style, the news should be presented in the descending order of its importance. It is specifically differentiated into 3 levels.
THE LEAD
The top part is called the lead and as the name suggests contains the most critical information. The lead of a news article should contain every single bit of important information about the incident or event that took place. It should mention when it happened, where it happened, why it happened, what exactly happened and how it all happened. This part should basically contain the content which makes it newsworthy. By reading just the lead part the reader should be able to gauge what the article is about and its context. The reader can quit reading the article anytime because he/she would have already grasped vital information from the article.
BODY
The middle part is addressed as the body. They contain subsequent paragraphs giving additional facts related to the incident. It generally gives the information on the background of people involved in the incident, any arguments or disputes that have occurred, any shreds of evidence etc. They may also contain some important quotes made by some officials or people related to the incident. This part generally builds anticipation among readers and helps readers understand the facts that lead to the incident. In other words, it gives the causes for the incident. It drives the audience deep into the whole scenario. Many articles also provide the source of the information in order to prove its credibility. Photos and videos of the incident are also added in this part.
TAIL/CONCLUSION
The third and final part is known as the tail/conclusion. This section contains information regarding events that are occurring related to the incident. They might also contain references regarding similar incidents that had occurred. For example, refer https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/no-need-to-talk-about-bringing-back-article-370-says-sharad-pawar-2118631
The mentioned link is of the latest article by NDTV. This article perfectly explains the inverted pyramid format. When you analyse this article in the lead it mentions all the 5W’s and 1 H. It answers accurately
Who Sharad Pawar is to PM Modi
What the article is about, that is scrapping of article 370
When did it occur that is Oct 17
Why because he was discussing whether to bring back article 370 or not and
How is that he spoke during a rally in Niphad.
The second part mentions many important quotes which give additional information about the entire situation. And finally the last part refers to forthcoming Maharastra elections and what all issues Sharad Pawar is going to raise and what are his chances of pulling off a victory.
These are topics which are remotely related to the main context but it is put up there for those readers who would like to know more about that particular event. Journalists generally prefer to write in this format because it is easier to consume a story if all the main facts are presented first instead of beating around the bush.
