Lead (sometimes lede)

Traditional Lead

Note that a lead does not have to answer "who, what, when, where, why, and how" in a single sentence, in that order.  Avoid cramming the lead with every single detail you have learned.

An explosion leveled a house in Townsburg this morning, starting a fire that forced the evacuation of 30 downtown residents, rescue workers say.

After the above lead, the second paragraph might provide an element of color -- a description of smoke billowing above the treetops, a sleepy child being carried by a worried-looking parent, or a quote from an eyewitness. The third paragraph might include a direct quote from a named official (one of the "rescue workers" mentioned in the lead).

If the story involves any unusual details -- perhaps the fire started at the mayor's house, or there was a loud party going on, then the lead should be adjusted to reflect those unusual details.

An early-morning explosion at the residence of Townsburg mayor Margaret Smith started a fire that destroyed three houses, rescue workers say.

For an accident story, mention deaths, injuries, property damage, and temporary local inconveniences, in that order. If there are deaths or serious injuries, quoting a resident who is annoyed by the traffic jam caused by the rescue vehicles would make that neighbor seem insensitive. The real story in that case would be the deaths and injuries, making the temporary inconveniences far less newsworthy.


See "A Tale of Two Leads."

Experimental Leads

If the story is newsworthy because it is odd (rather than because it involves suffering or property loss), you might try conveying the facts in a more creative way.

A 15-minute operation involving a forklift, 20 firefighters, seven police officers and one scared pig ended a two-hour traffic delay on Interstate 94 Sunday morning.

This example, from a handout co-written by a former student of mine (see "Hard News Writing"), covers the "5 w's and one h" without being too cutesy, inviting the reader to keep reading. This kind of writing can be risky, since it can backfire, but it can also have a great impact. Some further examples for the pig story:

Geoffrey Saint never could have imagined what he'd meet in the middle of Interstate 94 during his drive to church Sunday morning.

This is a little too broad. How about

For Geoffrey Saint, the pig blocking his way to church Sunday morning was was "too big to miss and too grumpy to move." 

A different lead might instead focus on a different angle.

Tailgate the pig lay snoring in the middle of Intersate 94, oblivious to the fire trucks and squad cars that had gathered around him.

Would it be too much to try to work a reference to "Sunday snooze" into the lead, in order to cover "when"? Maybe.

Anecdotal Leads

Somewhere between the efficient rigor of the traditional lead and the riskiness of the experimental lead, an anecdotal lead begins with a one- or two-sentence story.

Geoffrey Saint says a pig named Tailgate saved his children's life.

When the pig decided to take a Sunday morning snooze on Interstate 94, Saint, who was on his way to church, saw the traffic jam, turned around, and went back home.

Pulling up in front of the house he had left just fifteen minutes earlier, he saw smoke pouring from the kitchen windows, below the room where his three children were sleeping.

Note that this story begins by stating that the children are fine, but saves the details for the body of the story.