# Nut graph

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{{use mdy dates|date = August 2024}}
{{Short description|Opening paragraph of a news story}}
{{redirect|Nut sheller|the hand-operated machine that shells nuts|universal nut sheller}}
In the [structure of written articles](/source/article_structure) in [journalism](/source/journalism), the '''nut graph''' or '''nut graf''' (short for "'''nutshell paragraph'''") is a [paragraph](/source/paragraph) following the [lede](/source/lead_paragraph), or opening paragraph, that proceeds to explain the context of the news or other story ["in a nutshell"](/source/Nutshell).<ref>{{cite web | author = Scanlan, Chip | url = http://www.poynter.org/2003/the-nut-graf-part-i/11371/ | title = The Nut Graf, Part I | work = PoynterOnline | publisher = [Poynter Institute](/source/The_Poynter_Institute_for_Media_Studies) | location = St. Petersburg, FL | date = May 20, 2003 | accessdate = September 9, 2016}}</ref><ref name = ZamithAJH>{{cite book | author = Zamith, R. | date = 2022 | title = The American Journalism Handbook: Concepts, Issues, and Skills | edition = 1st | page = | location = Amherst, MA | publisher = [University of Massachusetts Amherst](/source/University_of_Massachusetts_Amherst) Libraries | isbn =  | url = https://books.rodrigozamith.com/the-american-journalism-handbook/files/Rodrigo%20Zamith%20-%20The%20American%20Journalism%20Handbook.pdf | access-date = 4 September 2024}}</ref>{{rp|261f}}<ref>{{cite web | author = Scanlan, Chip | url = https://www.poynter.org/news/nut-graf-and-breaking-news | title = The Nut Graf and Breaking News | work = PoynterOnline | publisher = Poynter Institute | location = St. Petersburg, FL | date = May 21, 2003 | accessdate = November 13, 2009}}</ref>  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'').<ref>{{cite web | author = Gorman, Teresa | date = August 23, 2015 | title = 5 Principles of Web Writing | work = [NPR.org](/source/NPR.org) | url = https://training.npr.org/2015/08/23/5-principles-of-web-writing/ | access-date = 4 September 2024}}</ref> 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.<ref name = ZamithAJH/>{{rp|262}}

In many news stories, the essential facts of a story are included in the [lede](/source/Lead_paragraph), a story's opening paragraph of 2-3 sentences.<ref name = ZamithAJH/>{{rp|261}} Good ledes answer the [Five Ws and H](/source/Five_Ws)—who, what, when, where, why, and how—as quickly as possible,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bleyer |first=Willard Grosvenor |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65884 |title=Newspaper Writing and Editing |publisher=[Houghton Mifflin](/source/Houghton_Mifflin) |year=1913 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |page=66 |language=En |chapter=IV. Structure and Style in News Stories |access-date=January 28, 2024}}</ref> so as to not lose audience attention.<ref name = ZamithAJH/>{{rp|262}} Ledes crafted to capture attention in their brevity may fail to fully encompass the Five Ws 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''.<ref name = ZamithAJH/>{{rp|262}} As Zamith notes, the nut graph<blockquote>contextualize[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.<ref name = ZamithAJH/>{{rp|262}}</blockquote>  
<!-- THERE IS PERHAPS NO NEED FOR THE FOLLOWING UNSOURCED CONTENT, BUT ADD IT BACK WHEN SOURCED, AS NEEDED: The nut graph, which often will start in the third, fourth, or fifth paragraphs, will explain any additional context for why the story is important. For example, if the news story concerns a candidate for an upcoming election, the nut graph will state when the election is and may expand upon issues of the election. If the news story is part of an ongoing story, the nut graph will likely summarize other recent events related to the newest revelations.-->

== See also ==
*[Sound bite](/source/Sound_bite)

== References ==
{{reflist}}

Category:Journalism terminology
Category:Newswriting

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Nut graph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_graph) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_graph?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.