The inverted pyramid is the story organization structure. It was created with the invention of the telegraph, where the most important information came first in case of a signal break.
The inverted pyramid is the principle to put the most important information — what the readers need to know — is as close to the lead as possible. The higher up in the story the content is, the more people will know if they don’t plan on reading the whole thing.
Here are some tips for following the inverted pyramid:
- Keep sentences concise. The meaning of a sentence can get lost with unnecessary words.
- Think thematically: What do you have to include in the story?
- Example: If I’m writing a story about the school Ultimate Frisbee team hosting a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness and are also profiling the organization with the piece, there are a few themes you could stick with, in order they would be included in the story: information about the fundraiser, what it’s intended for, the team’s current goals, any additional information as it comes up when speaking to sources, the team’s future goals.
- Pick the most effective quotes that will add or give context to important information to the story.
- Transitioning is important, but don’t rely too heavily on it. Avoid paraphrasing quoted content when introducing a quote — instead paraphrase a related thought from the source or use the quote to transition through themes.
Inverted Pyramid Practice
Pretend you’re previewing an on-campus LGBTQIA+ Pride Month kick-off event that will be hosted by the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) on Friday, June 1 and will include a keynote speech by Jeffrey Smith, president of the campus Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA).
The event will also feature a Q+A with Dr. Nancy Doe, Golden Health Center director, about safe sex practices, STI testing, and the importance of consent. There will also be a short reading from the Pride Month book club read “I Am Jazz” by Jazz Jennings, young transgender writer.
For more information on the GSC, the on-campus resource will speak about its services. It also holds a biweekly support group for LGBTQIA+ students.
You’ve spoken to Smith, and have a quote from him about Pride Month:
“It’s important to acknowledge Pride Month as a campus community because so many students are LGBTQIA+ and feel underrepresented on campus,” Smith said. “Our goal with this event is to make those students feel recognized and to invite other students to celebrate Pride Month with us.”
You’ve also spoken to Jasmine Oakley, the director of the Gender and Sexuality Center, and she outlined the goals of the center as an on-campus resource for students. You have a few options for quotes to include about this.
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The next section of the AP Style resources is Story Components: A Breakdown.