Morning Coffee; Episode 5

Mornin’ to ya! I like my coffee black and strong. 

Many moons ago I took a course in journalism. It has become the basis for how I consume news and write to this day. 

One of the first things taught was how to frame a news article. In the first paragraph answer the questions who, what, where, when, and why—and sometimes how. The idea was to spare the reader the details. Tell them the news. The details can be given starting with the second paragraph.

Secondly, we learned how to craft a headline. I won’t go into all the details but it had to grab the reader. It has to be what the article was about. It had to be framed in such a way that the reader would remember it. Often, a writer will spend more time on a headline than writing the story.

For years now, I have consumed my news online. All newspapers have gone to digital formats. 

Back in the day when the paper was delivered by a paperboy or picked up at a newsstand, the newspaper cared very little what you did with the newspaper after the purchase. Of course, they hoped you used it as a reliable source and thus earn your patronage. Writing had to be crisp, fresh, accurate, and good.

If a reporter buried those important first paragraph questions somewhere down in the story the reader lost interest. A headline might read “Bank Robbed.” The reader wants to know those who, what, where, when, and why questions—ASAP. How disappointed the reader might be if arriving at the final paragraph to find out the bank was 600 miles away or that someone defrauded the bank (not a real robbery). 

Currently, nearly all news sources bury the very things I, as a reader, am looking for. I recently read a story about a recruit coming to a college team that I follow. I didn’t find out who it was until the last paragraph. 

One might wonder why the change in tried and true journalistic practices? The news outlets want to keep you engaged and on the page as long as they possibly can. The reader is exposed to more ads and pop-ups. The more the readers are exposed to, the more the website makes.

Just something that gets in my craw.