Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Introduction
Type of Leads
Straight news lead:
Simple and straight approach – nothing fancy
Usually one sentence long – with 30 words
Example: Two people were killed and four were injured today when a truck collided with
a passenger car on Interstate 59 near CottonVile Exit.
Summary lead:
Usually one sentence long – with 30 words but summarizes the news in a concise
It outlines the story in brief
Example: A tractor-trailer truck carrying dangerous chemicals crashed on Interstate 59
today killing one person, injuring four others and forcing an evacuation of several hundred people
from their homes.
Direct address lead
The word ‘you’ used
Directly referring to the audience/readers
The main purpose is to involve the readers/audience
Example: If you are a property owner in the city, the City Council is about to take at least
5000 rupees more from you each year.
Contrast lead
Two opposing ideas/views
Example: People say marriages are made in heaven, but for Sita, it is a different story
altogether.
Immediate identification lead
A person or issue is important or well-known
Give the name of the person
Example: Donald Trump …
Delayed identification lead
Name not well-known, the position is more important
BBMP Chairman has passed an order to stop the encroachment of pavements. This will
be implemented from the 3rd of this month. BBMP Chairman Sampath Raj who took oath as a
chairman.
Question lead
Lead begins with a question
To attract the readers/audience
To capture attention
Quotation lead
Start with a quote from the story
“A quote”, said Mr… , a designation – time/place
Writing for changing time- brief, crisp and to the point
Does news have mere informational value or is it a form of
knowledge?
The document or a record is said to be of a value based on the nature of the information that is contained
in such records. The information could be related to a person, event, country, or a business. News as a
primary source of information gathering, disseminating, and recording contributes to the information
value. Without the wide reach of news media, critical information could very well be forgotten.
The value of news doesn’t just stop with the recording of the information but goes far into spreading
literacy and awareness among the common people, who would otherwise, may not have access to such
information.
When there’s a natural calamity, news acts as a torchbearer of knowledge on how one can safeguard
their lives, protect their family and dear ones. When there’s a political crisis, news helps to spread the
knowledge among the public in exercising their rights. A good newspaper carries itself wisdom of current
affairs, debates, different viewpoints, economy, political, business, education, health and several other
matters. Such wealth of information builds up the power of knowledge among the people.
Hence, we can conclude that news does not just stop with informational value, but an epitome of
knowledge.