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Journalism & Media vocabulary · Reporting and News Writing

the five Ws

Meaning in journalism & media, with examples

phraseCommon term

In journalism & media, the five Ws means: The basic questions every news story should answer: who, what, when, where and why, usually with how added as well.

In Turkish: 5N1K, beş N bir K

How it is used

A checklist for reporters and editors, also called the five Ws and H or the five Ws and one H. A good hard news lead answers most of them in the first sentence or two.

Example sentences

  1. Check your lead against the five Ws: I still don't know when the accident happened.

  2. On the first day of the course we learned the five Ws and H.

Common collocations

  • the five Ws and H
  • answer the five Ws
  • cover the five Ws
  • leadThe opening sentence or paragraph of a news story, which gives the most important facts and makes the reader want to continue.
  • inverted pyramidA way of writing news in which the most important facts come first and the less important details follow, so the story can be cut from the bottom.
  • news storyA single piece of reporting about a recent event or issue, published in print or online or broadcast on radio or television.
  • angleThe particular point of view or focus a journalist chooses for a story, which decides which facts and voices come first.

More terms: Reporting and News Writing

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