Chapter 7

The lead (aka lede) The beginning of the story that entices

the reader Crucial in any medium▪ Especially in today’s media environment▪ Social media▪ Print▪ Broadcast▪ Online

The lead▪ Tells the reader what the story is about

Hard-News Leads▪ Also called Summary leads

Soft news leads▪ Also called feature leads

Nut Graphs▪ Also called the focus graph

Hard-News leads Aka - Summary leads▪ Should answer several, but not necessarily

ALL of the 5 W’s▪ Choose the most important of the 5 W’s for

the lead▪ Save the others for the second or third paragraph

Subject-Verb-Order▪ Effective format for summary leads

“Who did what” or “what happened”▪ Avoid writing summary leads with clauses (pg 124)

Order of information▪ When writing a summary lead▪ The point of emphasis should be the first or last

words▪ Decide which elements are the most important

Point of emphasis▪ Most of the time when writing a hard-news

lead▪ Put the most important info first▪ Otherwise put it at the end of the lead

Active vs Passive voice Active voice is preferred in print & broadcast▪ Stresses who is doing the action

Passive voice should be used▪ When emphasis is on what happened instead of

who Where to say “When”

Time can be confusing in a lead▪ For prior day events, when doesn’t come first▪ When used, make sure it’s placed where accurate (pg 127)

Delayed Identification When the who is not a well known

person▪ Identify them by age, location, occupation or

other description in the lead.▪ Identify them by name in the second

paragraph Be aware of laws and newsroom policy

about names of juveniles and criminal offenders

Updated leads▪ Used for stories that have already been

introduced▪ Provide immediacy for continuing stories

Impact leads▪ Explains how the reader & viewer will be

affected▪ Good for broadcast stories▪ Help to make stories seem fresh and relevant▪ Help to answer the question “So What”

Attribution leads Tell the reader where you got your

information Too much attribution can clutter a lead▪ If you witnessed the information▪ You can eliminate the lead

▪ If you received it from a source/interview▪ Include attribution

Soft lead Coaching tips▪ Write multiple leads vs struggling to find the

perfect one▪ Make sure lead is related to focus and can be

backed up▪ Don’t strain to create a lead from your head▪ Pull from the story to develop it

Descriptive leads Describe a person, place or event Can be used for a news or feature story

Anecdotal leads Starts with a story about a person or an

event. All soft leads are anecdotal▪ They are storytelling approaches

Narrative leads Like anecdotal, tell a story with dramatic

action▪ To make readers feel like a witness to the

event Use writing techniques of fiction

including▪ Dialogue▪ Scene setting▪ Forshadowing

Other soft leads Soft leads can be written in many ways▪ Focus on a person lead▪ Contrast lead▪ But-Guess-What contrast▪ Then and now contrast

▪ Teaser lead▪ Mystery lead▪ Build on a quote lead▪ List leads▪ Question leads▪ Cliché leads

Leads to avoid Cluttered leads Good news/Bad news leads Crystal ball leads Nightmare leads

Plop a person leads Weather-reports leads Stereotype leads

Tips for finding your lead▪ Reader interest▪ Memorable item▪ Focus on a person▪ Descriptive approach▪ Mystery approach▪ Build on a quote▪ Contrast▪ Problem/Solution▪ Narrative Storytelling