How to write like an old-time journalist

Originally published March 2010. Updated January 2026. These fundamentals remain as relevant today as they were in traditional newsrooms—perhaps more so in an age of information overload.

Start your story by telling the reader what it is about. You do this briefly in the headline. Then again in the introduction or intro, which is a stop press paragraph.

Why these skills still matter in 2026

Sixteen years later, these old-school journalism habits are more valuable than ever. In an era of AI-generated content, social media posts and endless blog chatter, clear structure stands out.

Journalists who mastered these fundamentals adapted successfully to newsletters, Substack and independent publishing. The platform changed; the principles didn't.

The inverted pyramid structure—most important information first, details following—works whether you're writing for print, web, email newsletters or social media threads. Readers still scan. Attention spans remain short. Clear writing still wins.

This approach also serves technology journalism particularly well—explaining complex subjects to general audiences requires disciplined structure.

Ask yourself:

• what is this story about,
• what information am I trying to get across and
• what points must I make to do this?

One simple sentence is enough

Sum up the story in your mind in one simple sentence. This is your intro.

Its job is to tell the reader what the article is about and draw the reader in. As a rule, readers prefer brief intros.

This is your opportunity to get their attention. This principle proved crucial when publishers first moved online—web readers scan even more ruthlessly than print readers did.

Write so a reader who only gets as far as your intro still has a basic grasp of your story. Old school newspapers had limited space and editors would cut from the bottom. Keep this in mind. This discipline shaped generations of journalists, and those who maintained it adapted better when the industry transformed.

How a journalist starts

Newspapers teach journalists to start with a single sentence of between 15 and 21 words. This is what you should aim for, although at times you’ll need to use more words.

As an aside, proper nouns made up of multiple words only count as a single word when you’re calculating the ideal intro length.

You can have one sentence in you first paragraph or two or three. Either way keep it short and crisp. Good typography matters too—avoid common document design mistakes like excessive justified text that creates distracting white space.

What happens next?

Next comes the how — how did it happen or, more usually in your case, what happens next?

This is background information or explanation.

After the explanation comes amplification. You amplify the point or points following on from the intro.

Make these points one by one and in descending order of importance. As much as you can, answer any questions that a reader might ask.

Last, after making all the main points, tie up any loose ends — ie., add any extra or background information deemed necessary but of lesser importance.

Applying these habits to modern news formats

These principles work across all modern formats:

Email newsletters: Start with your key point in the subject line, expand in the opening paragraph, provide details in order of importance.

Social media threads: The first tweet or post is your intro—it must hook readers and summarise your point.

Blog posts and articles: The structure is identical whether you're writing for Substack, Medium or your own site.

Video scripts: Even visual storytelling benefits from clear structure—what's the story, why does it matter, how does it work?

The journalists struggling most in the digital transition were often those who never mastered these fundamentals. Those who did found their skills translated seamlessly across platforms.

Clear writing, structured thinking, and reader-first organisation never go out of style.

More on journalism and media:

This post is part of ongoing coverage about journalism craft, business models and professional practice:

• Lack of local technology news damages industry.
• Online paywalls vs print: Why readers resist
• Dealing with the pay wall economy
• Apple's iPad won't save newspapers.
• 'Paywall' is off-putting, try talking about subscriptions.
• Ad-blocking threatens online publishing.