Nutgraph
In the structure of written articles in journalism, the nut graph or nut graf (short for "nutshell paragraph") is a paragraph following the lede, or opening paragraph, that proceeds to explain the context of the news or other story "in a nutshell".: 261f The abbreviated term can be spelled in these two ways, but also in ways that join the words in these compound expressions (e.g., nutgraph). In the case of a two-paragraph extended lede, the nut graph follows those two, as needed; hence, the nut graph is generally the second or third paragraph following a journalistic lede.: 262
In many news stories, the essential facts of a story are included in the lede, a story's opening paragraph of 2-3 sentences.: 261 Good ledes answer the Five W's and H—who, what, when, where, why, and how—as quickly as possible, so as to not lose audience attention.: 262 Lede's crafted to capture attention in their brevity may fail to fully encompass the Five W's and H, and generally cannot fully establish the context of the story; completing coverage of the story essentials and contextualizing it then becomes the purpose of the nut graph.: 262 As Zamith notes, the nut graphcontextualize[s] the most important facts of an article and provide[s] audiences with a clear understanding of that article’s angle...the lens through [which] the journalist approaches the central issue or topic examined... For example, [in] ...a story about a new town zoning ordinance, they could focus on the potential impact of the change on the town’s ‘character,’ or on the individuals who stand to gain or lose most... The nut gra[ph] tells audiences why the story is important and timely... explain[ing] where the story is coming from, where it is going, and what is at stake.: 262
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