TODAY
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Share National Enquirer Stories
Writing Leads
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Review Thursday
Different Types of Leads
Leads Checklist
PD’s Leads on Front Page
Assessment: Writing
Various Types of Leads
Discuss your Leads
66 News Writing Tips
HOMEWORK:
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NONE
Season Six of The Office comes out on
DVD today. I’ll be getting that fo’ sho’.
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEADS
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Summary leads: This kind of lead is mostly used in news stories
because they need to be concise, to the point, and put the most
information into the least amount of words.
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Narrative leads: These leads take you into the mind of the main
person in an article. It's the most classic and in some instances most
effective way to start out a feature. Pick a person and start your
article out with their story and tie it into the main point.
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President Bush was aiming to rally U.S. forces encountering tougher
resistance in Iraq and warn Americans of a potentially long conflict when
he was to visit the headquarters of Central Command on Wednesday.
Joe Darnaby had his heart set on going to college out west next year. But
since his father lost his job last month, his parents have laid down a new
rule: no schools outside of Ohio.
You leads: You leads directly address your audience and involve them
in a story.
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You know prom is right around the corner, but cash is tight and you are
worried that you will not be able to show your date a good time. Do not
worry because Joe Johnson at American Tuxedoes wants to help you.
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEADS
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Blind leads: This is a lead where you start off the article by
summarizing but leaving out one essential detail, this is done to catch
the interest of the reader. Also, if the person you are reporting on is
not known to the public, your readers probably do not care to know
their name right off the bat, so share that information later.
 A local delicatessen owner used nothing but a piece of beef jerky to
fight off two armed robbers who were trying to rob his store early
Sunday morning.
Quote leads: This is a lead where you start off the article with a quote
that expresses the idea you want to get across well. In some
newsrooms quote leads are banned because finding the perfect
quote for an article is a very challenging task that most newspapers
don't have the time for. USE RARELY!
 Many papers started their reports on the moon landing with Neil
Armstrong’s quote, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for
mankind."
LEADS CHECKLIST
Is it the most newsworthy key point in the story?
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Is it short and simple? (less than 35 words – remember
the lazy rowers in the canoe)
Is it written in the active voice?
2.
3.
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4.
5.
6.
DON’T BURY THE LEAD!
"Steve loves Amy." NOT “Amy is loved by Steve.”
Have you put the facts in the first sentence? (Do not
start with the when or the where!)
Is it up to date? Are your verbs in the correct tense?
Have you avoided quotes/questions in the lead?
WRITING DIFFERENT LEADS
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You will need to create an example of each of
the five types of leads using the information
provided for you.
REMEMBER, no one writes their best lead on
their first attempt. You should have at least
TWO attempts for each type of lead.
When you have completed all five types, swap
your leads with a neighbor and double-check
your partner’s leads with the checklist.
STORY #1: Chicken Wing Eating Champ
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WHO?: Competitive eater Sonya Thomas;
nicknamed “The Black Widow”; 5 ft., 105
lbs.
WHAT?: Ate 181 wings in 12 minutes to
defeat Joey Chestnut and break the
national championship record
WHEN?: Sunday
WHERE?: the ninth annual National
Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York.
WHY?: competitive eating fame
STORY #2: World’s Shortest Man
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WHO?: Edward Nino Hernandez
WHAT?: Officially certified as the world's shortest living
man by Guinness World Records, measuring 27 inches
(70 centimeters).
WHEN?: last week
WHERE?: Colombia
WHY?: recently discovered that he was in fact shorter
than previous record holder who recently died
Note: Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal is expected to
take over after he turns 18 on Oct. 14. He measures
about 22 inches (56 centimeters) and is currently
recognized by Guinness as the shortest living teen.
STORY #3: Kanye’s Tweets
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WHO?: Kanye West
WHAT?: apologizes on Twitter for upstaging Taylor Swift
at MTV’s 2009 Video Music Awards
WHEN?: over the weekend
WHERE?: the interweb
WHY?: criticism, the 2010 VMAs coming up
NOTE:
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"With new found humility ... who am I to run on stage? I would
never ever again in a million years do that. Sorry to let you
down."
“Sorry Taylor.”
“When I woke up from the crazy nightmare I looked in the
mirror and said GROW UP KANYE.”
STORY #4: Thugs Kill Pizza Man
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WHO?: 58-year-old Richel Nova; 3 criminals (one 20
year old, two teens)
WHAT?: criminals broke into abandoned house, ordered
pizza, then robbed, stabbed, and stole victims car
WHEN?: last Thursday night
WHERE?: Boston, Mass.
WHY?: innocent victim in violent crime of greed
NOTE:
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Nova, a Dominican immigrant who moved to Massachusetts
more than 20 years ago, worked three jobs to provide a better
life for his son and twin 20-year-old daughters.
STORY #5: Infant Sleep affects Weight
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WHO?: Researchers; Archives of Pediatrics &
Adolescent Medicine.
WHAT?: study suggests that babies and children
under the age of 5 getting less than 10 hours of
sleep at night are more likely to be overweight or
obese five years later
WHEN?: published Monday; results from 19972002
WHERE?: nationwide survey
WHY?: may help address growing obesity problem