LEADS Starting off right

GENERAL RULES  A Lead is the first paragraph of your news story.  Leads should be no more than 30 words.  It performs one of two jobs:  It can entertain  It can inform

MOST IMPORTANT  Ask yourself: What do my readers need to know most?  Focus on the newest information. Focus on the future.

RARELY USE THESE  “Who lead” – begins with a person. Usually not the most important fact  “When lead” – begins with time. Rarely is the time the most important factor.  “Where lead” – begins with the place. Hardly ever is the most important factor.

USE THESE OFTEN  “How lead” – begins with the how of the story  “Why lead” – begins with the cause of the story  “What lead” – begins with the fact of the story

JUST MY TYPE  There are five types of leads.  Summary  Source  Colorful  Scene Setting  Punch We will go over each type.

JUST PRETEND  To serve our purposes, let’s pretend that a man named Jeff Smith just tried to rob a bank in Sylva yesterday at 3 p.m. He held the teller (Kelly Johnson) at gunpoint until a little old lady (age 87) named Fannie White in the next line noticed. Fannie pulled a small gun out of her bag and shot the robber in the knee. When police chief Gary Glen arrived on the scene, Jeff was still on the ground grabbing his knee. No money was taken.

SUMMARY LEAD  Fannie White, 87, stopped a bank robbery yesterday afternoon in Dyer.  Most basic lead  Covers the important Who What When Where Why and How of the story.  Strictly follows the Inverted Pyramid.

SOURCE LEAD  Fannie White, 87, stopped a bank robbery yesterday afternoon in Dyer, according to police chief Gary Glen.  Uses same basic principles as Summary Lead  Adds a source to the lead to enhance credibility.

COLORFUL LEAD  A normally frail and usually gentle old woman foiled a bank robber yesterday afternoon in Dyer.  Colorful leads use bright writing to add interest.  Writer must be careful not to go over 30 words.

SCENE SETTING LEAD  With her stiff, wrinkled hands wrapped around the cool revolver, Fannie White, 87, stared down the man in the black mask.  Gives the background information from the event.  Requires intense note taking from the reporter.  Lets the reader “see” what’s happening.  Reporters must again be careful of the 30 word limit.

PUNCH LEAD  The frail woman grabbed her gun. She would not let this happen.  Leads that are intentionally vague.  These are cliffhanger leads. The are high in interest and trust that the reader will keep reading.

MAKE SURE TO AVOID  Editorializing  First person – keep yourself out of the story  Don’t use “Our School”  Paragraphs too long  Misspelling names  Trying to use all the information