"The
Five Ws,
Five Ws and one H, or the
Six Ws are questions whose answers are considered basic in information-gathering. They are often mentioned in
journalism (
cf. news style),
research, and
police investigations.
[1] They constitute a formula for getting the complete story on a subject.
[2]
According to the principle of the Five Ws, a report can only be
considered complete if it answers these questions starting with an
interrogative word:
[3]
- Who is it about?
- What happened?
- When did it take place?
- Where did it take place?
- Why did it happen?
Some authors add a sixth question, “how”, to the list, though "how" can also be covered by "what", "where", or "when":
[3]
Each question should have a factual answer — facts necessary to include for a report to be considered complete.
[4] Importantly, none of these questions can be answered with a simple
"yes" or "no"."
So let us proceed... ... ...
{PS: It should be pointed out that the Man described in this blog actually did something Awesome. While I am embarrassed to have put my foot deeply in my mouth, very deeply, I am honored to have witnessed this man's actions. Actions which more of us should take and sadly we do not.}