Lecture 4.4.2 – The Inverted Triangle or Pyramid
Lecture Overview
In this lecture, the teacher explains The Inverted Triangle Schematic.
The INVERTED PYRAMID or TRIANGLE 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 fact sheets. It is a way to communicate the basics about a topic in the initial sentences. The inverted pyramid is taught to mass communication and journalism students, and is systematically used in English-language media.
The inverted or upside-down pyramid is a triangle pointing down. The widest part at the top represents the most substantial, interesting, and important information that the writer wants to convey, illustrating that this kind of material should head the article, while the tapering lower portion illustrates that other material should follow in order of diminishing importance.
It is sometimes called a summary news lead, or bottom line up front. The opposite, the failure to mention the most important, interesting or attention-grabbing elements of a story in the opening paragraphs, is called ‘burying the lead”.