Lesson 22 — Activity 1: The 5 Ws

A journalist is someone who writes for newspapers or magazines or prepares news to be broadcast on radio or television. Their job is to inform the public by reporting the facts. These "facts" are referred to as the "5 Ws." They are the Who, What, Where, When, and Why of a news story.

In this activity, you will learn more about the 5 Ws.

The Who refers to Who was there?

The What refers to What happened?

The When refers to When did it happen?

The Where refers to Where did it happen?

The Why refers to Why did it happen?

  

Knowing the Who, What, Where, When, and Why will help you understand the story and the point the journalist is trying to get across. In a news story, the 5 Ws should be answered right away — either in the headline or in the first two paragraphs of the story. Often an "H" is added to the 5 Ws: the H refers to How did it happen?

While the 5 Ws are required in news reporting, order is not specified. Typically, order is dictated by the journalist's purpose. The 5 Ws are a very basic tool for putting news stories together. Journalists always ask themselves many questions when writing stories.

Digging Deeper!