Journalists, assembling facts to write a news story, ask themselves six simple questions — the five W’s and an H:
| Who? | Where? | Why? |
| What? | When? | How? |
In the lead, or opening paragraph, of a good news story, the writer tries to condense the whole story into a sentence or two, answering all six questions.
A giant homemade fire balloon [what] startled residents of Costa Mesa [where] last night [when] as Ambrose Barker, 79, [who] zigzagged across the sky at nearly 300 miles per hour [how] in an attempt to set a new altitude record [why].
Later in the news story, the reporter will add details, using the six basic questions to generate more about what happened and why.
For your college writing, use these questions to generate details. They can help you explore the significance of a childhood experience, analyze what happened at a moment in history, or investigate a campus problem. Don’t worry if some go nowhere or are repetitious. Later you’ll weed out irrelevant points and keep those that look promising.
For a topic that is not based on your personal experience, you may need to do reading or interviewing to answer some of the questions. Take, for example, the topic of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and notice how each question can lead to further questions.