Thinking Through Leads (or is it Ledes?)What is a lead?
A lead is a simple, clear statement that makes up the first paragraph or two of your story.
It advertised what is coming in the story.
It is sometimes spelled lede.
What is the first step in writing a lead?
--The first step is determining a story's relevance.
How do I determine a story's relevance?
Ask "So what?" or "Who cares?
"What are the six basic questions that every story must answer?
Who What When Where Why HowHow long should a lead be?
Leads should be short, usually fewer than 25 words.
What's an inverted pyramid?
The organization of a news story in which information is arranged indescending order ofimportance.
What are the different types of leads?
There are many, but what follows are five types of leads:--Immediate identification:
This lead focuses on the "who" when it comes to the six basic questions.
Use this approach when someone important is making news.
For example:
President George W. Bush ate a cheeseburger and frieswith students Friday during a visit to Our High.
Delayed identification:
In this lead, the "who" is not immediately identified by name.
Instead, the "who" is identified by an occupation, city or job title.
Use this approach when the person involved has little name recognition among readers.
A cafeteria worker at Andrew Jackson High won $2.5 million Friday in the state lottery
.Summary:
The lead in this case is a synopsis of two or more actions.
Reporters who deal with several important elements may choose to sum up what happened rather than highlight a specific action.
His is one type of lead where a general statement is preferable to a specific action.
Multiple elements:
This lead reports on two or more newsworthy elements.
In some stories, choosing one theme is too restrictive.
A multiple-element lead allows the reporter to work more information into the first paragraph. (Use sparingly.)
Leads with flair:
Use this type of lead when you want to emphasize novelty.
It deviates slightly from the inverted pyramid approach.
What should I avoid in a lead?
There are no hard and fast rules,but remember:
Too many numbers can bog down a lead.
You can tell readers how the numbers will affect them in your lead then provide details later in the story.
For example, if prom tickets were $50 per person last year and the price increased to $75 per person this year, your lead could say:
Seniors shouldn't spend that extra $25 dollars on appetizers and dessert for dinner before prom-they'll need it to pay for tickets.
The student council voted Friday to raise the price of prom tickets.A quote lead may not be the best choice. Quote leads often lack context.
The reader doesn't know who is speaking or why it matters.
Try not to start with dates, times or places … unless those are the most important news.
Start with people and what they are doing or have done.
Bad LeadOn Friday, July 15, 2001, three students won a statewide choral competition.
Good LeadThree Our High juniors took home $500 and top honors Friday in a statewide choral contest.