Who? (5 Ws of Journalism) Posters and Art Prints

The Five Ws (sometimes referred to as Five Ws and How, 5W1H, or Six Ws) are questions whose answers are considered basic in information gathering or problem solving. They are often mentioned in journalism (cf. news style), research and police investigations. 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: Who, What, When, Where, Why. Some authors add a sixth question, how, to the list. Each question should have a factual answer—facts necessary to include for a report to be considered complete. Importantly, none of these questions can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no".