In the structure of written articles in journalism, the nut graph or nut graf (short for "nutshell paragraph") is a paragraph following the lede, or opening paragraph, that proceeds to explain the context of the news or other story "in a nutshell".
[4] In the case of a two-paragraph extended lede, the nut graph follows those two, as needed; hence, the nut graph is generally the second or third paragraph following a journalistic lede.
[2]: 261 Good ledes answer the Five Ws and H—who, what, when, where, why, and how—as quickly as possible,[5] so as to not lose audience attention.
[2]: 262 Ledes crafted to capture attention in their brevity may fail to fully encompass the Five Ws and H, and generally cannot fully establish the context of the story; completing coverage of the story essentials and contextualizing it then becomes the purpose of the nut graph.
[2]: 262 As Zamith notes, the nut graphcontextualize[s] the most important facts of an article and provide[s] audiences with a clear understanding of that article’s angle...the lens through [which] the journalist approaches the central issue or topic examined... For example, [in] ...a story about a new town zoning ordinance, they could focus on the potential impact of the change on the town’s ‘character,’ or on the individuals who stand to gain or lose most...