Leads A lead is a clear and concise statement that makes up the first paragraph or two of a story and outlines

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 to the 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 the heart of the story. Several basic leads: 1. Immediate ID: Focuses on the who of the six questions and is used when a prominent person 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 the story, 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.

Lead Exercises Two stories with different leads: Read the two stories and identify the type of lead used in each. 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 for those 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 bills over $20.

According to Secret Service Agent Moe Monny, "the bills were as sophisticated a forgery as 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 the student is working alone, or is part of a larger crime ring, is something we hope to discover 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 counterfeit bills. Possession of counterfeit United States obligations (bills) with fraudulent intent is a violation of Title 18, Section 472 of the United States Code and is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to 15 years, or both. Manufacturing counterfeit bills is also a federal crime, punishable by a fine and up to 15 years, or both. Source for scenarios Susan Fergueson