{"id":70,"date":"2023-12-06T22:38:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T22:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palomar.edu\/introtojournalism\/chapter\/chapter-8-leads\/"},"modified":"2024-09-30T15:05:38","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T15:05:38","slug":"chapter-8-leads","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palomar.edu\/introtojournalism\/chapter\/chapter-8-leads\/","title":{"raw":"Chapter 8: Leads\u00a0","rendered":"Chapter 8: Leads\u00a0"},"content":{"raw":"
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Writing Leads<\/span><\/h2>\n[caption id=\"attachment_196\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"300\"]\"A The more you write, the better you write.[\/caption]\n\nOnce a reporter has conducted their interviews, it is time to write. <\/span>Where to begin?\u00a0<\/span>\n
\n\nThe lead.\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\nThe lead<\/strong> or lede<\/strong>\u00a0is pronounced LEED and is the first paragraph of any news or feature story.\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\nConsider the lead your first-date outfit. It's designed to grab the reader\u2019s attention and give a good first impression of your story. If you do not have a good lead, you will lose the reader.\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\nWriting a news or feature lead is often a path into writing the entire news story. Not all journalists start with the lead, but most do. For new writers, beginning with the lead will help you develop an outline of the entire story.\n\n<\/div>\n
\n\nThere is a tried-and-true process for lead writing. To begin, a reporter needs to have interview transcriptions, research and documents ready. Many journalists review their notes before they begin to write and highlight any information that feels crucial to include in the story.\n\n<\/div>\n
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\n\nWith their notes nearby, a reporter can create an opening paragraph that puts their best information forward. A handy way to organize those thoughts is by writing out the classic five Ws and an H.\n\n<\/div>\n
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