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 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 25- word 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 (more) ► Are 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