Day In, Day Out

Journalists, like detectives, are well aware of the five W’s: who, what, where, when and why. These are the basic questions a reporter must ask when gathering information for an article, whether it’s a lengthy feature or a news brief. The answers, often located in or near the first paragraph, create a framework by providing an article’s essential details.

Let’s take a look at how the five W’s were handled in the USA Today blurb pictured below.

Who?
Lauren Conrad

What?
A wedding

Where?
Along the coast of California

When?
Saturday

Why?
She heard married people live longer and get tax breaks, and she was facing pressure from family and friends. I kid! She was in love, of course.

When?
Saturday

Note that I listed the when twice. I didn’t have to. Neither did USA Today.

Forgive me for putting a Weird Al spin on an Elton John lyric, but Saturday’s not all right for writing — not twice in the same sentence, anyway. Take a day-in, day-out approach. Keep one Saturday, but give the other a rest. Invoke a Saturday Sabbath.

Who?
USA Today

What?
An error

Where?
Page 1 of its “Life” section

When?
Monday, Sept. 15, 2014

Why?
The writer included Saturday twice in the same sentence.

Sometimes an H (how) is added to the five W’s. The H in this instance remains unanswered. A few theories, in order of likelihood: 1. The writer originally included a time element only after family, but after reviewing the sentence decided the when would sound better at the end of the sentence. He inserted two words after California but forgot to delete the original Saturday reference. 2. The oversight was made in haste, minutes before a looming deadline. 3. An editor, distracted by images of Lauren Conrad, relied on spell check and didn’t closely examine the sentence.

How … unfortunate.