Writing Compelling Leads

The lead is comprised of the opening words that set the stage for what’s to follow. As the first sentence of a news story, the lead is the most crucial element of any report. In a matter of seconds, the viewer (or, in radio, the listener) makes a decision whether to actively pay attention to the story or to merely “tune out” until something more interesting comes along. Another option is to tune into another station with a more compelling story. Yet this vital part of the story is the most difficult to write. In just a few short words, a well-crafted lead must:set the tone for what followsprovide information to intrigue the audienceoffer enough news so it simply doesn’t burn away precious seconds. While there are few “perfect” leads, some are better than most. As students pursue a career in journalism, they encounter leads that are memorable, leads that are acceptable, and those that are simply not very good. Because all news stories are different from one another, this chapter shares the different methods for writing good leads.