BASIC NEWS LEADS
CHAPTER 7
“He was the quiet Beatle who left
the loud legacy.”
(CNN lead on death of Beatle George Harrison)
The Lead’s Needs…
The first sentence or two, or the first
paragraph or two, in a newspaper, magazine, or
online news story is called the “lead” or “lede.”
► It is considered the most important part of a
story—and can be the most difficult to write.
► The lead should arouse a reader’s interest.
► Leads often will cover the central point of the
story, not hide it with unnecessary or misleading
words and phrases.
►
“Summary” or “central point” leads
► The
most common type of lead. It gives
the main or central point of the story.
► While every news story should answer six
questions: Who? What? Where? When? —
Why? How?-- the lead is not the place to
answer or address all of them.
► The lead should answer only the one or two
questions that are most interesting,
newsworthy and/or unusual.
To determine the lead, ask yourself:
► What
is the most
important information?
What is the story’s
central point?
► What was said or done
about the topic? What
happened or what
action was taken?
► What
are the most
recent developments?
What happened today
or yesterday?
► Which facts are most
likely to affect or
interest readers?
► Which facts are most
unusual or out of the
ordinary?
People’s Names– don’t have to be in
leads
► Delayed-Identification
Leads: In many
stories, the names of the main subjects are
not as important as what those people did
or what happened to them.
► For these stories, reporters use leads that
withhold complete identification of the
people involved until the second or third
paragraph. (See examples top of page 150)
Leads: Avoid “headline” writing
Leads must be complete sentences: They are
not headlines, so they must include all the
necessary little words, often articles, such as the
words “a,” “an,” and “the.”
►
Bad lead: Six College of Charleston students
arrested last night when police break up
downtown party. (too “headline”—not a complete,
grammatically correct sentence)
►
Better lead: Six College of Charleston students
were arrested last night when police broke up a
downtown party.
►
Count your words!
Lead Length: Many readers find a 25word lead “difficult” to read and a 29-word
lead “very difficult.” A better average would
be 18 to 20 words. (see p.152 chart of newspaper lead lengths)
► Reporters should examine their leads
critically to determine whether they are
wordy or repetitious, or contain facts that
could be shifted to later paragraphs.
► Broadcast leads are even shorter—12 words
►
Elements of Good Leads
►
►
►
Are specific—good leads
contain interesting details
and can help readers or
viewers/listeners visualize
the events they describe
Use strong, active verbs—
a strong word or
descriptive verb can
transform a routine lead
into a dramatic one.
Emphasize the magnitude
of the story—stress the
impact stories have on
people
Stress the unusual—by
definition, news involves
deviations from the norm
► Strive for simplicity—every
lead should be clear,
simple and to the point
► Localize and update—leads
should emphasize your
communities’ involvement
in stories (local angles and
reactions to national,
international stories)
►
Good Leads
► Are
(more)
objective and attribute opinions—reporters are
expected to gather and convey facts to their
readers, not to comment, interpret or advocate.
► Reporters may anger or offend readers when they
insert their own opinions.
► A lead containing someone else’s opinion or
statement must be attributed so readers clearly
understand the opinion is not the reporter’s.
Common Errors with Leads
►
►
Not beginning with the
news—you should stress
the news of the story, not
the attribution (example,
p.156)
Don’t “bury” the lead—
chronological order rarely
works in a news story—the
lead should stress the
central point, what’s most
newsworthy, noteworthy or
unique
►
Avoid “agenda” leads—an
opening paragraph that
places too much emphasis
on the time and place at
which a story occurred is
called an “agenda” lead.
 Example: Yesterday the
Cougar baseball team
played a double-header
against Clemson at
Patriots Point.
 Better: At Patriots Point
yesterday the Cougar
baseball team swept a
double-header from
Clemson.
More Common Errors with Leads
► Avoid
“label” leads--“Label” leads mention a topic
but fail to reveal what was said or done about the
topic. Leads must report the substance of a
story, not just its topic.
 Example: The City Council Tuesday night discussed
ways of regulating underage drinking downtown.
 Better: The City Council Tuesday night examined
several fake ID cards and approved new guidelines to
help bar owners crack down on underage drinking
downtown.
Also Avoid…
 Lists- can be dull
 Platitudes-- avoid
stating the obvious
or stressing the
routine in leads
(p.158)
 The negative- report
what happened, not
what failed to
happen or what
does not exist (p.158)
 Exaggeration—if a
story is weak,
exaggeration is
likely to make it
weaker, not stronger
 Misleading
readers/viewers—
every lead must be
accurate and
truthful
Finally…
► Critically
examine all leads and rewrite them
as often as necessary
► First drafts are rarely so well-written that
they cannot be improved
► Even experienced professionals often
rewrite their leads three or more times