There is a persistent myth in journalism school and writing workshops that a strong piece should announce its thesis up front, plant a flag in the first few paragraphs, and let the rest of the story do the supporting work. It is tidy. It is defensible. And for a certain kind of writing — the breaking news brief, the op-ed, the quick explainer — it is exactly right. But for investigative pieces and long-form features, front-loading your central argument often commits a quiet act of self-sabotage. It hands the reader the ending before they have any reason to care about it.
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