http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-huntsville-shooting14-2010feb14,0,1187769.story?track=rss
This story about a science professor at University of Alabama at Huntsville has a detailed progression of facts for the reader. To put a "shape" to this story is somewhat difficult but the "martini glass" fits it best, although it somewhat resembles a kabob.
The reason it fits a martini glass structure is because the story goes through events in chronological order. The story starts with the shooting and goes step by step what happened afterward. However, an interesting twist to the article is that sprinkled within the chronology of the shooting are bits of backstory detailing Amy Bishop's history and how she was perceived by students on campus. All of this supplemental information helps the reader make sense as to why Bishop would be inclined to commit such a heinous crime. There is some insight into her psyche and what kind of teacher she was; tough.
The reason this story is somewhat "kabob"-like is that for the last few paragraphs it goes quote-information-quote-information-information-information, all of which don't go into chronological events of the shooting.
I think the structure of this article is effective because without the peppering of side information about Bishop and her history the reader would become bored. For the uninterested reader, the most relevant information is summarized in the beginning four paragraphs. The extra paragraphs add another whole dimension to the story that kept me reading and eventually looking for more information from other news sources because it was such a macabre story.
To have done this story differently, in a more straightforward, clear cut timeline could have also been effective. However, I think it would lack the depth of the other structure I described above.
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