Five Ws

Not to be confused with Five whys.
For other uses, see 5W and W5.

The Five Ws is a list of 5 questions which an investigation or explanation should cover. In journalism, it ensures that the lead contains all the essential points of a story. In classical rhetoric, they are known as the elements of circumstance. They are

  • Who?
  • What?
  • When?
  • Where?
  • Why?

Journalism students are taught that these are the fundamental five questions of newswriting. Reporters also use the "5 Ws" to guide research and interviews and to raise important ethical questions, such as "How do you know that?".

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