Read the article, not just the headline

I know what you’re thinking.

“Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

Every time I sit down to write a story, there is one lesson that a college professor taught me that I always try to keep in mind:

“Statistically, you won’t keep the reader’s attention for long, so get your main info out as quickly and as simply as possible.”

It’s what we journalists like to call “the inverted pyramid.”

In layman's terms, most writers like to build up their story to a climax halfway or three-quarters of the way into their piece, and include all the fix-ins along the way.

As reporters, we like to get the gist of it done and over with without too much extraneous fluff.

Look, we get it.

We live in an age of instant gratification, where news apps and Twitter make even the internet seem slow; sitting down and committing to an entire story (even on your smartphone) is a lot to ask sometimes.

But as readers, sometimes you have to meet us halfway.

Against my editor’s advice (and maybe a bit of my better judgment as well), one of my favorite things to do is read the comment section of a story after it’s been posted.

Chalk it up to my desire to spark discussion and dialogue, but I have a morbid curiosity about what readers think about the topics I cover.

Unfortunately, I’ve noticed a trend that’s a little disheartening.

Folks, there is more to a story than its headline or its lede.

For example:

I couldn’t help but chuckle at some of the comments made on my police mounted unit feature, condemning the city for spending money on such a program.

I rolled my eyes at those who drew their line in the sand, refusing to pay any more money towards a potential new hotel bed tax that will be added to the upcoming ballot.

I let out a deep, heavy sigh when someone said that an article about a turkey giveaway declined to provide a location for the event.

Most of the mounted unit’s expenses are covered by the officers themselves. Unless you stay in a hotel in the city, you won’t have to worry about the new tax. Turkeys were available at 10919 Lakewood Blvd on Nov. 27.

In case you were wondering.

In other words: read the article, not just the headline. All it takes if a few extra moments of your day.