Differences in structure create a different focus

An inverted pyramid is hard to follow after spending years writing academic essays.  I am used to leading the reader into my essay, providing constantly important information, and then concluding smoothly.  Because I have become accustomed to this kind of writing, the idea of telling the most important information first is intimidating.  How can the writer make the rest of the story interesting if they inform the reader of the most important facts of a story in the first few sentences? 
It must depend on: 1. The reader's interest in the subject, 2. The journalist's ability to write the article in an interesting way, and 3. Both of the above. 

The writer of a news story therefore has to worry about different points than the writer of an essay.  It is interesting how the change of structure can change the focus points of the two different writers.



English Essays vs. News Story