Using well-known facts and statistics at the top of your story can help readers connect with the news. It also helps strengthen the article by adding credibility and weight.
Newsworthiness may be determined by the impact on people, conflict (like “if it bleeds, it leads”) or how much a story piques curiosity. When writing a top story, it’s important to remember that a person’s first name and both initials should be used whenever possible to avoid jarring the reader.
While new writers may feel inhibited by following standard formats, these structures organize information so that it’s easy for readers to understand the main points even if they don’t read the entire article. For example, the inverted pyramid structure is best for hard news stories and begins with the most important information — the who, what, when, where, why and how of the story. The bottom part, called the nut graf or summary, provides additional details and context, but is not necessary for understanding the overall story.