Who, What, Where, When, Why, How, Clyde

Most journalists know about the 5 W’s and 1 H: who, what, where, when, why, and how. The 5 W’s and 1 H are the bedrock of informative newswriting, providing the reader with the most important aspects of a story in as efficient a manner as possible. But often forgotten is the 1 C that has historically accompanied the 5 W’s and 1 H, and that 1 C is Clyde.

The 5 W’s, 1 H, and 1 C have fueled professional journalists’ pursuit of reportorial excellence for well over 200 years. When composing the direct ledes for their breaking-news articles, writers would have to stop and ask themselves, Of the 5 W’s, 1 H, and1 C, which element, because of its importance, should appear first in the lede? Is it the what? Is it the when? Is it Clyde? Often, the why and the how would be pushed to the second paragraph, and Clyde might not even be mentioned until paragraph 3 or 4, depending on how essential the fact of Clyde was to the story. Of course, when the occurrence of Clyde diminished in the mid-twentieth century, the 1 C fell by the wayside and remained there for decades, becoming a mere historical curio in the process.

However, as you may have read in the journals, Clyde has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence in recent months.