This workshop outline looks at the six questions that every journalist should consider asking. They are What? Why? When? How? Where? and Who?
This workshop is presented in two formats, both using the same source material from Media Helping Media. The first is a two-hour workshop designed for those who are already familiar with the topic but who would like to deepen their understanding. The second is a four-hour, half-day workshop for those who are new to the topic.
Trainers are invited to select and adapt the format that best meets the needs of those they are training. For the activity sections of the workshop trainers should source locally relevant material when examples of the topic being covered are needed.
The source material for this workshop is the questions every journalist should ask. We suggest trainers circulate the source to participants material BEFORE the workshop giving them enough time to read and digests the concepts discussed.
Workshop outline 1: Two-hour session
09:00–10:00 – Session 1: Mastering the six core questions
- Aims: To refine the use of the six essential questions (What? Why? When? How? Where? and Who?) as a professional checklist to ensure no critical information is omitted and to maintain high standards of accuracy.
- Presentation: The trainer reviews the six questions: What happened? Why did it take place? When did it happen? How did it happen? Where did it take place? and Who is involved? Emphasis is placed on using these as a routine checklist rather than a rigid template. The trainer explains that while all are important, “Who” and “What” are frequently the most crucial as news is primarily about people taking action.
- Activity: Participants deconstruct a complex local news report to identify which of the six questions were answered and which were missing.
- Example article extract for examination: “High interest rates and the rising cost of living are pushing many South Africans into debt. Recent data shows a significant increase in loan defaults among middle-income earners in major urban hubs like Johannesburg and Cape Town over the last six months.”
- Instructions: Trainees must identify the ‘Who’ (middle-income earners), ‘What’ (financial trouble/debt), ‘Where’ (Johannesburg/Cape Town), ‘When’ (last six months), ‘Why’ (high interest rates/cost of living), and ‘How’ (loan defaults).
- Discussion: A group talk on the impact of missing questions on the story. How missing ‘Why’ would affect the reader’s understanding of the event?
10:00–10:45 – Session 2: Strategic prioritisation and news judgement
- Aims: To develop news judgement (the ability to decide which information is most relevant) and to learn how to avoid cluttered openings by prioritising the most compelling angles.
- Presentation: The trainer explains that answering all six questions in a single opening paragraph leads to a cluttered report. The focus should be on the most interesting element (e.g., an unusual ‘What’ vs. a prominent ‘Who’). This ensures the most significant facts are presented clearly without overwhelming the audience.
- Activity: Trainees are given a set of raw facts and must draft three different leads (opening sentences), each prioritising a different core question (e.g., one focusing on ‘Who’, another on ‘Why’).
- Discussion: Participants compare leads and discuss which approach would best serve their specific target audience.
10:45–11:00 – Assignment
- Participants must find a published news story from the previous week and rewrite the lead paragraph to focus on a different one of the six questions than the original author chose, explaining why their choice might be more effective for a local audience.
Workshop outline 2: Four-hour session
09:00–10:00 – Session 1: The foundation of reporting
- Aims: To introduce the six essential questions to those new to the profession and establish their role in ethical ethics and news gathering.
- Presentation: Detailed explanation of each question:
- What: The event or action.
- Why: The cause or motive.
- When: The timing.
- How: The method or process.
- Where: The location.
- Who: The people or entities involved.
- The trainer explains that these are the building blocks of any reliable report and are essential for maintaining accuracy.
- Activity: Basic identification drill. Trainees read three short news snippets and underline the answers to the six questions in different colours.
- Discussion: Why is ‘Who’ and ‘What’ usually the most important? (News is about people doing things).
10:00–11:00 – Session 2: Avoiding the cluttered lead
- Aims: To understand the danger of over-stuffing an opening paragraph and learning to use information sparingly to maintain interest.
- Presentation: The trainer demonstrates cluttered leads where all six questions are forced into one sentence. They explain that good journalism involves making a “conscious decision” to leave some details for later in the story to ensure clarity.
- Activity: Lead cleaning exercise.
- Example article extract for examination: “In a small village in central Kenya, elders are gathered to discuss the return of a sacred statue taken by colonial officers in 1900. The move follows years of diplomatic pressure on European museums.”
- Instructions: Trainees must rewrite this to focus purely on the ‘What’ (the return of the statue) versus the ‘Where’ (central Kenya) to see which has more impact.
- Discussion: Group discussion on how news judgement (the professional instinct to know what matters most) helps a journalist choose which question to answer first.
11:00–11:15 – Break
11:15–12:45 – Session 3: Practical application and ethical questioning
- Aims: To apply the checklist to real-world scenarios.
- Presentation: Discussion on the ‘Why’ and ‘How’. Often these questions require deeper research and interviews. The trainer explains that ‘Why’ (the cause) is often more interesting than ‘What’ (the event) in long-form or analytical pieces.
- Activity: Mock interview and story construction. Pairs of trainees act as journalist and source for a hypothetical local event (e.g., a market fire). The journalist must use the six questions to ensure they gather all facts. They must then draft a report.
- Discussion: Reviewing the drafted reports and discuss whether the journalists use the six questions effectively.
12:45–13:00 – Assignment
- Trainees are tasked with visiting a local public space or event immediately after the workshop, identifying a potential story, and writing a brief report (200 words) that clearly answers the six essential questions, including a prioritised lead sentence.
Materials needed (both workshops)
- Handouts summarising the six questions (What? Why? When? How? Where? and Who?).
- Example news articles from local and international sources.
- Research resources (internet access or pre-printed fact sheets).
- Notebooks and pens for drafting leads and interview notes.
Assessment (both workshops)
- Ability of participants to correctly identify all six questions in existing news text.
- The quality and clarity of rewritten leads (avoiding clutter).
- Engagement in discussions regarding news judgement.
- Successful completion of the final writing assignment.
Conclusion
This workshop has focused on the fundamental building blocks of news gathering and writing. By mastering the six essential questions – What? Why? When? How? Where? and Who? – journalists ensure their work is thorough, accurate, and engaging. These questions serve as a professional checklist to prevent the omission of vital facts while guiding the journalist’s news judgement in prioritising the most compelling information for their audience.
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