Five Ws
Journalism's basic questions
The Five Ws are the fundamental questions journalists and investigators use to gather complete information: who, what, when, where, and why.
Sometimes expanded to include how.
Every news story should answer the Five Ws in the first paragraph.
The framework ensures thorough coverage of essential facts.
- whoPerson-asking pronoun
- whatRequesting clarification or repetition
- whenTime interrogative
- interrogativesWords forming queries
- open-ended questionsQueries permitting free responses
questioning · where · headline writing · critical thinking · investigative journalism · news story · lead paragraph · fact-checking · inquiry · dig deeper · news coverage · police report · probing · elicitation · storytelling · brainstorming · narrative structure · troubleshooting
epistemological approach
Five Wsassumption
Unverified belief accepted as true
presumption · incuriosity · willful ignorance · taking for granted · blind faith