Five Ws

The Five Ws, also known as the Five Ws (and one H), is a concept in journalism, research, and in police investigations that most people consider to be fundamental. It is a formula for getting the "full" story on something. The maxim of the Five Ws (and one H) is that in order for a report to be considered complete it must answer a checklist of six questions, each of which comprises an interrogative word:

• who?
• what?
• why?
• where?
• when?
• how?

The principle underlying the maxim is that each question should elicit a factual answer — facts that it is necessary to include for a report to be considered complete.

References

• "WHERE WENT THE 5 Ws?." The Marcus Letter. Accessed on May 15, 2005.
• "Knowing What's What and What's Not: The Five W's (and 1 "H") of Cyberspace." Media Awareness Network. Accessed on May 15, 2005.
• "Five Ws and H." Creativity Techniques. Accessed on May 15, 2005.
• "The Five W's of Online Help." by Geoff Hart, TECHWR-L. Accessed on May 15, 2005.
• "The Five W's." Journaling Help. Accessed on May 15, 2005.
• "Five More Ws for Good Journalism." COPY EDITING, InlandPress. Accessed on May 15, 2005.

See also

• The Wikinews style guide