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Leads

A lead is a clear and concise statement that makes up the first paragraph or two of a story andoutlines what the story will cover.

It is a summary that tries to address the six basic questions every story should answer: Who,What, When, Where, Why and How.

It is short, preferably under 30 words.

It is a clear and concise road map to the story that keeps the reader from becoming confused as tothe subject of the story.

It should sum up the important parts of a story but not include every detail.

The first step in writing a lead is to determine why the story is important by asking the question

who cares? The answer to this question should help you formulate your lead by focusing on theheart of the story.

Several basic leads:

1. Immediate ID: Focuses on the who of the six questions and is used when a prominentperson is part of the story.

2. Question: Asks a question the story will answer.3. Anecdotal: An interesting anecdote that illustrates the storys broader point.4. Summary: A synopsis that provides answers to several of the 5 W and H questions.

Common in news stories.

Things to avoid:

-Dates, times and places (although the day can be used)-Too many numbers-Quotes except on rare occasions-Starting with A, An or The-Unnecessary titles. Describe a person by the title most appropriate to their role in thestory, add additional titles if needed later.-First and second person (I, we, me)

Things to include:

-Who, What, When, Where and sometimes Why and How-Active verbs

Bad lead: On Monday, September 24, 2012, six dogs competed in a sitting contest.

Good Lead: Half a dozen dogs showed off their talents at a sitting competition Monday.

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Lead Exercises

Two stories with different leads: Read the two stories and identify the type of lead used ineach. A: question and anecdotal.

How are the stories similar/different?Which article did you like better and why?Which lead was more interesting?Was it a news, feature or opinion story?

Read other stories and underline leads and identify them:

Which ones did you like best, which ones worked best, could a different lead have been used forthose particular stories? A: Foxcomm- summary; Echols-ancdetol; Iran- Immediate ID

Read the following scenarios and write a summary, anecdotal and one other type of lead for

each. Underline the one you like best and explain why.

Example 1

The football team won Friday's game 17-14. Kicker Dave Smith was tackled after kicking winning field goal. Friday's victory meant the team clinched the league title, and will go to the district

playoffs, which begin next week. Score had been tied 14-14 since halftime. Field goal was kicked with 2 seconds remaining on the clock. When tackled, Smith suffered a dislocated ankle. The ankle injury requires surgery. Smith learned Friday morning that he had been awarded a full-tuition football scholarship

to Iowa State University.

Example 2

Five counterfeit $20 bills were passed last week at school The United States Secret Service is investigating the case. Two bills were passed at the DECA store, two at the finance window, and one in the

cafeteria line. The fact that so many bills were passed in such a short time is evidence of criminal

activity, not just coincidence, said the Secret Service. The bills were found to be counterfeit after they were deposited at the Snoqualmie branch

of Bank of America. Counterfeiting of bills falls under the Secret Service's jurisdiction. Agents from the

Seattle field office responded to the call. DECA adviser Bob Morrissey has educated all student store cashiers how to identify

counterfeit bills, and the store will now be using special counterfeit detectors on all billsover $20.

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According to Secret Service Agent Moe Monny, "the bills were as sophisticated a forgeryas I've seen in my 25 years in the counterfeit division."

Monny said the Secret Service believes a student at MSHS passed the bills. "Whether thestudent is working alone, or is part of a larger crime ring, is something we hope todiscover through the course of our investigation," Monny said.

The school has to "eat" the loss of $100, as the bank doesn't cover loss due to counterfeitbills.

Possession of counterfeit United States obligations (bills) with fraudulent intent is aviolation of Title 18, Section 472 of the United States Code and is punishable by a fine orimprisonment for up to 15 years, or both. Manufacturing counterfeit bills is also a federalcrime, punishable by a fine and up to 15 years, or both.

Source for scenarios Susan Fergueson