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The Five Ws is a checklist used in journalism to ensure that the "lead" or "lede" contains all the essential points of a story. As far back as 1913, reporters were taught that the lead/lede should answer these questions:[1]
- Who? - Asking about a person or animal
- What? - Asking about an object or action
- When? - Asking about a time
- Where? - Asking about a place
- Why? - Asking about a reason or cause
- How? - Asking about the way something is done[2]
In modern times, journalism students are still taught that these are the fundamental six questions of newswriting.[3] Reporters also use the "5 Ws" to guide research and interviews and to raise important ethical questions, such as "How do you know that?".[4]
- ^ Bleyer, Willard Grosvenor (1913). "IV. Structure and Style in News Stories". Newspaper Writing and Editing. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. p. 66. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ "How to Use the 5 "W"s (And 1 H)". September 2022.
- ^ "Writing Leads | NMU Writing Center". nmu.edu. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ "The 5 W's (and How) of writing for the web". The Buttry Diary. November 14, 2011. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.