Who cares?

Organizing information so people will read

Basic info: news elements (5 Ws & H)
• Who? … is it about Who’s acting, who’s affected

• What? … happened Events

• When? … did it take place Timeline, timeliness

• Where? … did it take place Geographic context

• Why? … did it happen Reason for, cause of events

• How? … did it happen Expands on “What” to

provide more detail for reader

* Each question should have a factual answer

News Values
Why is this important to your audience?
• Timeliness When an event happens is important context

• Proximity Geographic, nonspatial relation to the reader

• Impact How will the audience (reader) be affected?

• Prominence Are there well-known figures the reader knows?

• Magnitude The size or scale or scope of the events

• Conflict Disputes over fundamental issues are newsworthy

• Oddity Is there something unusual about these events?

• Emotional impact Does this story affect the reader emotionally?

Writing Leads: Get to the Point
• Lead: the opening paragraph of any news story—needs to capture the audience’s attention and communicate
the most newsworthy aspect of the story.

• What to include: Writing for Impact

• The most newsworthy angle (What does your audience most need to know?)
• Your lead does not have to have all the 5Ws and H in it! It can, but… The important thing is to consider which news value(s) matters
most to your audience for this particular story.
• The different types of leads can emphasize the 5Ws & H and news values—see following 3 slides
• How to write them: Being Concise
§ Never write a lead more than 25 words
§ There is a good chance the reader won’t read the ENTIRE story, so make sure you get to the most important details right away!
Lead Types: Summary Leads
Summary Leads are the most common & basic of leads.
• These are typically used for straight news stories. Readers want & need to know
just the facts now.
• Summarizes most important information.
• If you don’t read story, you still get the idea.

Example: “Four journalism students will receive all-expense-paid trips to Paris for winning a
local essay contest.”
• This lead immediately captures the 5Ws.
Lead Types: Anecdotal Lead
Anecdotal Leads emphasize the human interest side of a story.
• These are typically used for features and profiles.
• Draws readers in with colorful and/or personal details.

Example: “The paint on Shari Daniel’s back porch was peeling, the clapboard was rotting and
the single mother didn’t have the time or money to maintain the house house she took such
pride in when she moved in 20 years ago.

Thanks to volunteers from Habitat from Humanity, however, Daniel’s house will receive a
fresh coat of paint next week.”
Lead Type: Topic/Issue lead
Topic or Issue Leads emphasize the broader context of a story.
• These are typically used for features, investigative stories, or stories that are part of
an ongoing/broader discussion.
• Presents what’s at stake or acknowledges how a story fits into an overarching
debate/issue.

Example: “Climate change will destroy the ski industry in Colorado by 2025 unless lawmakers take action now,
according to Jan Brown, director of the Center for Climate Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

• Brown spoke to an audience of 200 students, faculty and community members Tuesday, as part of the annual
Climate Science Summit.”
Submit to Canvas—see assignment for full details.

LEAD WRITING EXERCISE

A first-year student got lost on the first day of
classes at CU Boulder …

This exercise will be the only opportunity

to invent information in your journalism
career.

Imagine the scenario stated above (and

feel free to invent some colorful details—
names, backstories, places, stakes, etc.—to Who would this matter to? Why? What
fill it out). How might you frame this in a would make this newsworthy?

lead to emphasize different news values?

A first-year student got lost on the first day of
classes at CU Boulder …
§ Timeliness
§ Proximity
§ Impact
§ Prominence
§ Magnitude
§ Conflict
§ Oddity
§ Emotional impact

Write three (fictional) leads that each prioritize a different

news value. Use subject-active verb-object sentences.