Some say that you’ll always remember the last meal of a banquet, and as cliché as it is, the statement resonates with truth.
Yet, there is also another familiar cliché that reverberates with equal importance – first impressions are lasting impressions.
Such a sentiment holds true when it comes to journalistic hard news stories.
In the eyes of a journalist, there is nothing worse (besides defamation, libel, plagiarism and grammatical errors to name only a few) than a sloppy hard news introduction that does little to convey facts or inform the public.
Hard news introductions need to be short, sharp and punchy.
But first and foremost, they need to deliver the most important information – you guessed it – first.
Whenever possible, it is integral to include the Five Ws (and H) – who, what, when, where, why, how – and to arrange the information in the style of the inverted pyramid.
By having the most newsworthy information at the top of your article, the most important facts are conveyed directly to the audience.
Take the following example, written by myself, below.
A man has died and two firefighters are injured after both parties were involved in a motor-vehicle accident early this morning in Melbourne.
With refinement, the introduction is further clarified and avoids formal terms (motor-vehicle accident), which is not suitable for hard news introductions.
A man has died and two firefighters are injured after a car and a firetruck collided early this morning in Melbourne.
For those of you who wish to write concise introductions, here are some fantastic tips, courtesy of Sonja Heydeman.
Keep it simple – avoid unnecessary words
Who, what, when and where are your most important questions in developing the lead
Remember the inverted pyramid – use the most important/interesting/newsworthy information first
Use active voice – it carries greater impact
Avoid opinion or speculation
With these in mind and with a lot of practice, writing hard news introductions will become second nature, and you, the journalist, will be able to convey news efficiently and effectively.
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