8 Questions
What is the purpose of a Shock/Teaser lede?
To gently lead the reader into the story
What distinguishes a Blind lede from other types of ledes?
Omits key information to intrigue the reader
Which of the following is a negative aspect of a Direct Address lede?
It is disrespectful to the reader's intelligence
What should writers ask themselves when choosing a lede?
Does it focus on the most important point in the story?
'Try out different styles of ledes' implies that writers should __________.
Experiment with various ways of starting an article
'Does it set the story's tone?' reflects on the importance of __________ in a lede.
'Setting the tone'
Which of the following is a key characteristic of an effective anecdotal lede?
It should grab the reader's attention with an interesting or surprising statement.
Which of the following is a key function of a descriptive lede?
To provide a detailed overview of the article's main topic.
Study Notes
Types of Lede
- A good lede makes the reader take notice, as stated by Edna Buchanan
- Hard lede: timely and immediate, used in wire stories, breaking news, and radio newscasts
- Soft lede: creative, conversational, and clever, used in news features, blogs, and magazine stories
Soft Lede
- Brings creativity and variety to media writing
- Can begin with an anecdote, description, quotation, or question
- Slightly delays getting to the story and is followed by a nut graf
- Several sentences long, very wordy and descriptive, not done for a particular day's deadline
Nut Graf
- A "focus graph" that explains the point of the story
- Used with news or features when using a delayed lead
- Summarizes the story and provides transition to the body of the story
Delayed Lede
- Triggers the reader's curiosity or raises an important concern
- Used mostly in news features or feature stories with a "news peg"
Alternative Lede Types
- Suspenseful lede
- Ironic lede
- Direct-address lede ("you")
- Contrast lede
- Shock/Teaser lede: grabs the reader's attention and gently leads them into the story
- Blind Lede: omits key information and hooks the reader's curiosity
Choosing a Lede
- Review notes carefully before beginning to craft a lede
- Try out different styles of ledes
- Ask yourself: Does the lede get the reader's interest? Is it brief, clear, and concise?
Test your knowledge on different types of news writing ledes. Learn about descriptive, anecdotal, narrative, focus-on-a-person, contrast, then-and-now, and more. Explore the concepts from 'Writing and Reporting News: A Coaching Method, Chapter 8' by Carole Rich.
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