While the “inverted pyramid” concept of delivering information to news audiences originated in the world of wire services and newspapers, it is nevertheless the fundamental basis for the writing and reporting of news in the other news media too – on radio, television and on the internet.

News consumers, wherever they may be, are usually time poor. They want the news quickly and concisely, without having to struggle to find out what is going on in the world. So, the principles of the “pyramid”, or most of them, apply equally in the other media. There is the odd exception. One that may not apply in radio, for instance, is the demand that stories be written so they can be “cut from the bottom”. Radio stories are usually so short that writing stories to be “cut from the bottom” is not a realistic approach. That said, most of the checklist items from the first chapter are just as important in radio, TV and online journalism as they are in print.

What has to be recognised in reporting and writing for any media outlet is the special circumstances that apply in each case. Acknowledging these circumstances and dealing with them effectively is the task of, and a challenge for, the reporter. Newspapers are about text and still images; radio is about sound; television is principally about sound and moving images, though it can also incorporate text and still images; the internet is about text, still images, sound and moving images.