Explainer

How it is used

Use for a format that builds understanding of a process or issue, often alongside a developing story.

Example sentences

1. The explainer shows why a falling inflation rate does not necessarily mean falling prices.

   The format resolves a conceptual confusion needed to understand current reporting.

2. Readers asked for an explainer on how the new council boundaries were drawn.

   A procedural question can determine the structure of an explainer.

Common collocations

• write an explainer
• video explainer
• explainer article

Related terms

• featureA longer article that explores a person, place, trend or issue in depth, often with description, background and human stories rather than only the latest facts.
• news storyA single piece of reporting about a recent event or issue, published in print or online or broadcast on radio or television.

More terms: Story Types and Opinion

• editorial
• column
• columnist
• op-ed
• investigative journalism
• tick-tock
• sidebar
• news brief
• service journalism
• solutions journalism
• horse-race journalism
• obituary