Article structure

Last updated December 19, 2023

Article structures in journalism encompass various formats to present information in news stories and feature articles. These structures reflect not only a writer's deliberate choice but also a response to editorial guidelines or the inherent demands of the story itself. While some writers may not consciously adhere to these structures, they often find them retrospectively aligned with their writing process. Conversely, others might consciously adopt a style as their story develops or adhere to predefined structures based on publisher guidelines.^[1]^[2]

Common Article Structures

This section provides an in-depth look at various article structures used in journalism.

Inverted Pyramid

The inverted pyramid is a classic structure that begins with the most critical information, followed by supporting details, and concludes with background or supplementary data. It is predominantly used in news reporting and is sometimes critiqued for its direct approach.^[3]^[4]

Example 1: A news report on an earthquake would start with the magnitude and location, followed by details on damages and rescue efforts, and end with historical data on regional seismic activity.
Example 2: In a political context, a news article about an election might begin with the election results, followed by an analysis of key races, and conclude with background information on the candidates.

Narrative

The narrative structure follows events in a chronological order, commonly utilized in feature writing and long-form journalism.^[1]

Example 1: A profile piece on a chef would start with their early life, follow their career development, and conclude with their current achievements.
Example 2: In a historical feature article, the narrative structure could trace the timeline of a significant event, providing context and analysis along the way.

Hourglass

The hourglass combines the inverted pyramid and narrative styles, beginning with crucial details, transitioning into a narrative body, and ending with a summary.^[4]^[1]

Example 1: An article on new traffic regulations starts with the key decisions made, then narrates public reactions, and concludes with an overview of expected impacts.
Example 2: In a scientific report, the hourglass structure may present research findings first, followed by the methodology used, and conclude with implications and future research directions.

Nut Graph

In the nut graph structure, a short paragraph provides the context and significance of the story, usually following the lead.^[1]

Example 1: A report on declining bee populations would start with this phenomenon, followed by a nut graph explaining its importance, and then delve into causes and effects.
Example 2: In an economic analysis article, the nut graph could introduce a key economic trend, followed by a concise explanation of its implications for businesses and consumers.

Diamond

The diamond structure begins with an engaging anecdote, includes a nut graph, broadens with detailed information, and then converges back to the initial story. This format is favored in opinion journalism.^[1]^[5]

Example 1: An opinion piece about young entrepreneurs might start with a specific story, expand to discuss the broader trend, and then tie back to the initial anecdote.
Example 2: In a cultural critique, the diamond structure could begin with a personal experience, delve into a broader analysis of cultural phenomena, and conclude by relating it to the initial experience.

Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree structure features a series of narrative developments or twists, often used for complex or evolving stories.^[3]

Example 1: A feature on a new technological breakthrough would present various aspects (science, impact, challenges) in a sequence of developments, each adding a new layer to the story.
Example 2: In a crime investigation report, the Christmas tree structure could suspensefully unveil successive discoveries and revelations, building intrigue.

Organic

Jon Franklin's organic structure is characterized by a series of visual images creating a cinematic narrative. It involves "foci" for action depiction and transitions for time, mood, subject, and character establishment.^[1]

Example 1: A travel article might describe vivid scenes from a market, transitioning into discussions about cultural significance and then focusing on individual stories.
Example 2: In a documentary review, the organic structure could use visual storytelling techniques to analyze the film's narrative style, cinematography, and thematic elements.

Five-Boxes

Developed by Rick Bragg, this structure includes five parts: a captivating hook, a nut graph, a secondary lead, detailed support, and a strong concluding "kicker."^[1]

Example 1: An environmental piece might start with a startling fact about climate change, summarize the issue, delve into specific effects and responses, and end with a powerful call to action.
Example 2: In a sports feature article, the five-boxes structure could begin with an intriguing sports anecdote, followed by background information, player profiles, and game analysis, and conclude with a memorable moment from the match.

Related Research Articles

Genre is any form or type of communication in any mode with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other forms of art or entertainment, based on some set of stylistic criteria Often, works fit into multiple genres by way of borrowing and recombining these conventions. Stand-alone texts, works, or pieces of communication may have individual styles, but genres are amalgams of these texts based on agreed-upon or socially inferred conventions. Some genres may have rigid, strictly adhered-to guidelines, while others may show great flexibility.

News style, journalistic style, or news-writing style is the prose style used for news reporting in media such as newspapers, radio and television.

The inverted pyramid is a metaphor used by journalists and other writers to illustrate how information should be prioritised and structured in prose. It is a common method for writing news stories and has wide adaptability to other kinds of texts, such as blogs, editorial columns and marketing factsheets. It is a way to communicate the basics about a topic in the initial sentences. The inverted pyramid is taught to mass communication and journalism students, and is systematically used in English-language media.

A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional or fictional. Narratives can be presented through a sequence of written or spoken words, through still or moving images, or through any combination of these. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, which is derived from the adjective gnarus. The formal and literary process of constructing a narrative—narration—is one of the four traditional rhetorical modes of discourse, along with argumentation, description, and exposition. This is a somewhat distinct usage from narration in the narrower sense of a commentary used to convey a story. Many additional narrative techniques, particularly literary ones, are used to build and enhance any given story.

Creative nonfiction is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contrasts with other nonfiction, such as academic or technical writing or journalism, which are also rooted in accurate fact though not written to entertain based on prose style. Many writers view creative nonfiction as overlapping with the essay.

A memorandum, also known as a briefing note, is a written message that is typically used in a professional setting. Commonly abbreviated memo, these messages are usually brief and are designed to be easily and quickly understood. Memos can thus communicate important information efficiently in order to make dynamic and effective changes.

Technical writing is the writing of technical content, particularly relating to industrial and other applied sciences, with an emphasis on occupational contexts. The range of audiences for technical writing varies widely. In some cases, it is directed to people with specialized knowledge, such as experts or technicians. In other situations, technical writers help convey complex scientific or niche subjects to end users who need a basic understanding of a concept rather than a full explanation of a subject. Technical writing is the largest part of technical communication.

Narrative Journalism, also referred to as literary journalism, is defined as creative nonfiction that contains accurate, well-researched information. It is related to immersion journalism, where a writer follows a subject or theme for a long period of time and details an individual's experiences from a deeply personal perspective.

A vignette is a French loanword expressing a short and descriptive piece of writing that captures a brief period in time. Vignettes are more focused on vivid imagery and meaning rather than plot. Vignettes can be stand-alone, but they are more commonly part of a larger narrative, such as vignettes found in novels or collections of short stories.

The rhetorical modes are a broad traditional classification of the major kinds of formal and academic writing by their purpose: narration, description, exposition, and argumentation. First attempted by Samuel P. Newman in A Practical System of Rhetoric in 1827, the modes of discourse have long influenced US writing instruction and particularly the design of mass-market writing assessments, despite critiques of the explanatory power of these classifications for non-school writing.

Peace journalism is a style and theory of reporting that aims to treat stories about war and conflict with balance, in contrast to war journalism, which peace journalism advocates say display a bias toward violence. The theory proposes practical methods for correcting biases in stories appearing in the mainstream and alternative media, and suggests ways for journalists to work with other media professionals, audiences, and organizations in conflict.

In article structure for journalism, the nut graph or nut graf is a paragraph that explains the context of the story "in a nutshell". The term can be spelled many different ways.

A feature story is a piece of non-fiction writing about news covering a single topic in detail. A feature story is a type of soft news, news primarily focused on entertainment rather than a higher level of professionalism. The main subtypes are the news feature and the human-interest story.

A lead paragraph is the opening paragraph of an article, book chapter, or other written work that summarizes its main ideas. Styles vary widely among the different types and genres of publications, from journalistic news-style leads to a more encyclopaedic variety.

Kishōtenketsu (起承転結) describes the structure and development of classic Chinese, Korean and Japanese narratives. The structure originated in China and was called qǐchéngzhuǎnhé (起承轉合) and used in Chinese poetry as a four-line composition, such as Qijue. From there, it moved to Korea where it is called giseungjeongyeol. Finally, the art style came to Japan, where it is referred to as kishōtengō (起承転合), from which the English word derives. Kishōtenketsu is sometimes described as a narrative structure devoid of conflict, particularly in opposition to Western narrative styles.

Prewriting is the first stage of the writing process, typically followed by drafting, revision, editing and publishing. Prewriting can consist of a combination of outlining, diagramming, storyboarding, and clustering.

Data journalism or data-driven journalism (DDJ) is journalism based on the filtering and analysis of large data sets for the purpose of creating or elevating a news story.

The Listening Post is a current affairs programme with a focus on media analysis and critique. It broadcasts on Al Jazeera English, and is filmed and produced from AJE's hub in London at the Shard.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to journalism:

Personal narrative (PN) is a prose narrative relating personal experience usually told in first person; its content is nontraditional. "Personal" refers to a story from one's life or experiences. "Nontraditional" refers to literature that does not fit the typical criteria of a narrative.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Naveed Saleh (14 January 2014). The complete guide to article writing. F+W Media. ISBN 9781599637341.^{[ permanent dead link ]} Also see "Crafting a strong feature article" in Writer's Digest , November/December 2015.
↑ "Associated Press Stylebook". www.apstylebook.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
1 2 Debora Halpern Wenger (6 August 2014). Advancing the story: journalism in a multimedia world. CQ Press. ISBN 9781483370460. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
1 2 "Telling the story". U.S. Department of State Handbook of Independent Journalism. 11 April 2008. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
↑ "Journalism writing rubrics: opinion story rubric" (PDF). Plain Local Schools. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2015.

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[Saleh-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Naveed Saleh (14 January 2014). The complete guide to article writing. F+W Media. ISBN 9781599637341.^{[ permanent dead link ]} Also see "Crafting a strong feature article" in Writer's Digest , November/December 2015.

[2] "Associated Press Stylebook". www.apstylebook.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.

[Wenger-3] 1 2 Debora Halpern Wenger (6 August 2014). Advancing the story: journalism in a multimedia world. CQ Press. ISBN 9781483370460. Archived from the original on 12 November 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2015.

[state-4] 1 2 "Telling the story". U.S. Department of State Handbook of Independent Journalism. 11 April 2008. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2015.

[5] "Journalism writing rubrics: opinion story rubric" (PDF). Plain Local Schools. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2015.

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