Inverted Pyramid
A metaphor used by journalists and other writers to illustrate how information should be prioritized and structured in a text (e.g., a news report), typically following a pattern of most important/breaking to least-important/fully-detailed.
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Origin
The technique emerged in the 1840s-1860s, driven by telegraph technology invented by Samuel F. B. Morse in 1844. Per-word transmission costs and frequent line disruptions required reporters to transmit vital details first. Journalism historian David T. Z. Mindich suggests the inverted pyramid was "born with the coverage of Lincoln's death" in 1865. Edwin L. Shuman documented it in his book Practical Journalism, formalizing what had become standard practice.
Updated February 22, 2026