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