倒金字塔结构是绝大多数客观报道的写作规则，被广泛运用到严肃刊物的写作中，同时也是最为常见和最为短小的新闻写作叙事结构。内容上表现在在一篇新闻中，先是把最重要、最新鲜、最吸引人的事实放在导语中，导语中又往往是将最精彩的内容放在最前端；而在新闻主体部分，各段内容也是依照重要性递减的顺序来安排。犹如倒置的金字塔，上面大而重，下面小而轻。版面编排倒金字塔结构与此相类似并在实践中几乎被绝大多数报纸所采用。

The inverted pyramid is a metaphor used by journalists and other writers to illustrate how information should be prioritized and structured in a text (e.g., a news report). It is a common method for writing news stories (and has adaptability to other kinds of texts, e.g., blogs and editorial columns). This is the best way to understand the basics about a news report. It is widely taught to mass communication and journalism students, and is systematically used in Anglophone media.