Leads or Ledes

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Leads (or Ledes)

• By Stephanie Shteirman

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Why write a good lead?

• Forces structure
• Decides facts
• Story takes shape from it
• Facts buttress lead
• Secondary facts further down

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Finding the Lead

• Ask Yourself
• What was unique or the most important or unusual
  thing that happened?
• Who was involved-who did it or who said it?

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Finding the Lead

• After answering those questions
• Is there a colorful word or dramatic phrase I
  want to work into the lead?
• What is the subject and what verb will best move
  the reader into the story?

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Direct Lead

• Answers the reporters first two questions-what
  happened and who was involved?-in the first
  sentence of the story.
• Also add when, a source, and location, when
  relevant.

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Example

• Three firefighters were injured and 41 families
  were evacuated when a fire roared through a
  six-story building at 204 Union Ave. today,
  police said.

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Direct Lead Example

• A local couple was awarded 150,000 in damages
  yesterday in Butte County Court for the injuries
  they suffered in a traffic accident last March.
• Guy Barton Rhodes, an organist with the First
  Methodist Church for 45 years, died at his home
  at 33 Raritan Ave. He was 91 years old.

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Not necessarily Dry

• Two veteran movie industry executives were chosen
  today by the board of Walt Disney Productions to
  head the troubled company a mouse built.