Investigative

Journalism
Language Arts
Mr B and Mrs D.
Learning Objectives
● Go through the main features of
newscasts and build our list with
them.
● Compare and contrast different
writing styles.
● Build an inverted pyramid from a
news story
● Identify the 5 Ws in a news story

2
 Descriptive
Investigative
Story
Journalism
Sean stood in the cool, black darkness of the third
floor hallway. It was a chilly night but he was not
cold. His palms were sweaty as they reached
toward the tall glass case. Even in the utter
blackness he could almost see the trophy glittering
behind the glass. The golden warmth of it seemed
to call him like a whisper, “Sean, I belong with you.
You deserve me. Take me home.” Despite his
certainty of what he had to do, Sean knew that
people would never understand what that object
represented or admit who the real owner should be.
Slowly, hands trembling, he brought out the
hammer. He was so focused on what had to be
done that he didn’t see the girl who was watching
from the dim shadows.
As Sean held the trophy he felt that things were
finally right.
4
 McKinley High School

Newsletter

Only one object was taken last night from the

trophies case at McKinley High School. It was
the trophy for the State Wrestling
Championship. A single eye-witness to the
theft reports that after the school play she saw
a lone figure stand in front of the case, wield a
blunt object - it might have been a hammer -
and smash the case. As this witness shielded
herself from flying shards, the perpetrator
dropped the hammer and fled with the
four-foot-tall trophy. McKinley had lost its first
ever State Wrestling Championship trophy.
5
5 Ws
Organizing the text

7
The inverted pyramid
is a metaphor used by
journalists and other
writers to illustrate how
information should be
prioritised and
structured in prose
(e.g., a news report). 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.
8
The lead
You begin with your lead which explains the what, where, when, how and who

of the story. This is where you paint a short picture about your story and include

the critical piece of information that’ll keep readers reading (ie the ‘hook’). After

this (and your nut graph, which is a short sentence to provide the context of your

story), you move onto part 2: The body. 9

No matter how dazzling your scene-setting
feature lead, at some point, readers want to know
where we’re going with this story. And that’s the
job of the nut paragraph, aka the nut graf.

The nut graph is the transition from the lead. In

the nut graph, writers and editors:

● Explain the lead and its connection to the rest

of the story
● Reveal your destination, or the essential
theme of the story
● Set up the supporting material to explain the
rest of the story
● Explain why the story is important to convince
your readers to come along for the ride
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The body
Here, you build your arguments and make your points. Provide more

detail. Throw in some quotes. Add in your journalistic opinion to create a

little controversy. Whatever it is, this is your main story.

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The tail
Finally, you end on the tail. Include extra information to give the reader

more details on the story. If the reader wants to do more research or find

out more about what you’re writing, where should they go?

12
Benefits of the Inverted-Pyramid Style for Web and Journalistic Writing

● Improve comprehension: Users can quickly form a mental model and

a general understanding of the article, making it easier to understand
the details that follow.
● Decrease interaction cost: Users can understand the main point of
the page without having to spend a lot of time reading.
● Encourage scrolling: This structure can encourage scrolling by
engaging the audience with the main point, and drawing them in to
the details that follow.
● Structure content logically: Starting with broad information sets the
stage for what follows. Elements like anchor or jump links can become
unnecessary when content is structured to draw the user down the
page.
● Support readers who skim: Readers can stop reading at any point on
the page and still come away with the main point.
13
 At least 13 people are reported to
have been killed after a cable car
collapsed near Lake Maggiore in
northern Italy.
The cable car, which connects the
resort town of Stresa and the
Mottarone mountain in the Piedmont
region, had 15 people onboard,
according to Walter Milan, a
spokesperson for the Alpine rescue
service. He said two people were
seriously injured.

The incident was reported to have

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/m
been caused after a tow rope broke.
ay/23/at-least-eight-dead-in-italian-cable
-car-accident 14
 Descriptive
Investigative
Story
Journalism
To write a News Story, Journalists …
Find drama in the world around them (in extraordinary,
community or everyday events).

Practice close observations, capturing the 5Ws (who, what, when,

where, why).

Are efficient - they write lean, meaningful prose under deadline that
captures their reader’s attention.

Use an objective tone - they record facts, quotations, and accurate,

important details.

16
REMEMBER?

17
Everywhere I went I’d write. If
I was crossing a street with
my friends and a rhyme
came to me, I’d break out
my binder, spread it on a
mailbox or lamp post and
write the rhyme before I
crossed the street.

Jay-Z

18
19
 Was the woman desperate?

Was she anxious?

Was she calm?

How do you know that? Did you talk to her?

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VERBS OF IMPRESSION

She seemed...

She looked …
N !
She sounded … T IO
E N
T
She appeared to be … AT

It tasted …

It smelled

21
 Investigative
Journalism
Language Arts
Mrs B and Mrs D.
 Roadmap
Attention to
Observe Capture vocabulary
Not just the event, but
the context the 5Ws choice
1 3 5

2 4 6

Take Use a journalistic Raise the

tone-concise, level with
notes
3rd person suggestive 23
Dramatic but truthful
details
To write a News Story, Journalists …
Find drama in the world around them (in extraordinary,
community or everyday events).

Practice close observations, capturing the 5Ws (who, what, when,

where, why).

Are efficient - they write lean, meaningful prose under deadline,

that captures their reader’s attention.

Use an objective tone - they record facts, quotations, and accurate,

important details.

24
Time to
write!
25
Learning Objectives
● Revise the main features of newscasts
and add more important features to
our list.
● Revise the 5Ws
● Go through claim, evidence and
reasoning.
● Analyzing investigative journalism
texts.

26
The inverted pyramid
is a metaphor used by
journalists and other
writers to illustrate how
information should be
prioritised and
structured in prose
(e.g., a news report). 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.
27
5 Ws
Designing Investigative Inquiry:
Claim + Evidence + Reasoning = Explanation

CLAIM: statement about the results of

an investigation.

EVIDENCE: data to support your claim.

REASONING: answers the “why” and

“how” by tying together the claim and
evidence.
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QUESTION:

Did the dog

kill the cat?

30
CLAIM

EVIDENCE

REASONING

PARAGRAPH

31
32
 Sophisticated Transitional phrases journalists might use to
lead their readers

-It all started when …

-Bystanders first became aware of … when ….
-This story shows/reveals/suggests …
-It turns out this story is one of many…
-You might wonder if others have had this experience…
-It turned out that this was not an isolated incident.
-To find out more, this reporter interviewed … (a witness/a bystander/
an expert)
- According to …
-You may be surprised to find …
-Research shows that this event is not an anomaly. In fact…
-Witnesses reported that …. 33
-A recent event ….
Identify

-the 5Ws
-relevant information
-detailed/ extra
information
-the inverted pyramid
-claim, evidence and
reasoning
-a transitional phrase

34
Identify

-the 5Ws
-relevant information
-detailed/ extra
information
-the inverted pyramid
-claim, evidence and
reasoning
-a transitional phrase

35
To write a News Story, Journalists …
Find drama in the world around them (in extraordinary,
community or everyday events).

Practice close observations, capturing the 5Ws (who, what, when,

where, why).

Are efficient - they write lean, meaningful prose under deadline,

that captures their reader’s attention.

Use an objective tone - they record facts, quotations, and accurate,

important details.

36
To write a News Story, Journalists …
Angle the story for social significance.

Use narrative craft such as action, dialogue, statements, and

setting to reveal central ideas and evoke compassion.

Engage readers’ interest and move them toward a bigger truth, with
narrative and information techniques.

Investigate the bigger story by researching sources.

Conduct primary research such as surveys and interviews.

37
To write a News Story, Journalists …
Cite references CLEARLY and ACCURATELY.

Frame evidence from sources by analyzing and explaining their

information.

Organize their writing and use sophisticated transitions to lead their

readers across the parts of a piece..

Write conclusions that argue for a call to action..

38