Analysis - Progression of information

Analysis - Progression of information

By Zach Batia

In CNN's report on the announcement of a formal impeachment inquiry of President Trump by the House, a wealth of complicated information is strategically structured to most efficiently and effectively inform readers.

The author begins with a hard news lead summarizing the most pressing who, what, when, and why elements of the story. This immediately gives the scope of the situation to the reader and answers the most pressing questions regarding just the fourth ever impeachment proceedings.

A nut-graf immediately follows the lead and adds greater context to the more immediate information found in the lead. This nut-graf briefly details the prior proceedings of the parties involved in this event, important in this case because the House's announcement was a dramatic shift.

The remainder of the opening section of the article contains quotes from the central figure in the story, Speaker Pelosi, and a more detailed contextualization of the situation provided in the nut-graf. Thus, the introductory section of this article follows the inverted pyramid model, providing the most general and pressing information first and transitioning to more detailed and contextualized analysis.

Two additional sections of writing follow the aforementioned introductory and central section of the piece. They delve into the most specific details and backstory elements of the impeachment proceedings. As this is such a complicated and important legal procedure, these additional sections provide the most detail oriented and complete background information that will most thoroughly inform concerned readers and transcend the more generalized information in the inverted pyramid.




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