NEW MEDIA IN JOURNALISM 469
Inverted Pyramid
Though it seems old-fashioned, the inverted pyramid style is still the
structure of choice for most writers. According to Jakob Nielsen, a Web
designer, “the inverted pyramid becomes even more important since we
know from several studies that users don’t scroll, so they will very fre-
quently be left to read only the top part of an article.”
Just like in print, however, the readers who are interested will con-
tinue to read to get the details. The difference is that newspaper readers
can simply turn the page to read more. Online, readers have to scroll
down to get the rest of the story. But too much scrolling is annoy-
ing, so online writers need to split their stories into coherent chunks.
“Each page,” Nielsen explains, “would be structured as an inverted
pyramid, but the entire work would seem more like a set of pyramids float-
ing in cyberspace than as a traditional ‘article.’” That means the online
reporter has to think of one story as multiple stories. Each set of details
and facts needs to begin with the most important so the reader
doesn’t have to scroll the entire page.
Writers can also take advantage of links, so readers interested in certain
details can get more information (including video and audio) by clicking on
the link. Readers who aren’t interested in those specific details can simply
move on.
Model T
The Model T is similar to the inverted pyramid in that the lead—or the
horizontal part of the T—summarizes the story and tells the reader why the
story matters. The vertical line of the T is the rest of the story. Basically, it’s
a “stack of blocks” that gives readers the rest of the details.
Although studies show that online readers read about 75 percent of an
article—versus 20 to 25 percent of a newspaper article—long chunks of text
are difficult to read. Therefore, online writers need to break up text—stack
the blocks—as much as possible. More than print writers, online writers
need to utilize subheads, run-in heads and bulleted lists. Paragraphs need to
be short, as do sentences. And updates or breaking information need to be
added in a way that makes sense and doesn’t look like a random addition.
In general, online writers need to take advantage of all the interactive
features Web sites offer without making the story suffer. Don’t lose the story
in a bunch of graphics; let the graphics and features enhance your story.
Your Beat
- Rewrite one of your print stories for publication on a
Web site. Include ideas for video, audio and graph-
ics. Then explain how the story changed. - Interview a reporter for a local newspaper. Ask how
the Internet has changed or affected his or her job.
3. Read a print newspaper story, and then locate the
same story on the newspaper’s Web site. Compare
and contrast how the stories were treated. How did
the styles, structure, facts and details differ?
Model T
method used to organize a
news story. A summary of
the story and its importance
is placed at top of the story,
which is like the horizontal
part of the letter T. The rest of
the story’s details are located
underneath the top in a sec-
tion that corresponds to the
vertical line of the letter T.