ASIA PACIFIC COLLEGE OF ADVANCED STUDIES

A.H. Banzon St., Ibayo, City of Balanga, Bataan

COLLEGE DEPARTMENT

CAMPUS JOURNALISM
Week 3- LECTURE

Types of News Lead

Introduction to Lead Writing

Every news story begins with an introduction which is called “Lead” reminding you that this
could be a single word, phrase, a brief sentence, an entire paragraph, or a series of
paragraphs. The main function of the lead is not only to introduce the news story but to
give the questions of the reader. The good lead answers all important information about
the news story.

*Kinds of Leads: Conventional or Summary Lead, Grammatical Beginning

Lead, Novelty Lead.

1. Conventional or Summary Lead

This kind of lead is used in straight news, it answers right away all or any of the six Ws and
two Hs, it may be one of the following:

WHO LEAD. Used when the person involved is more prominent than what he does and
what had happened to him.

Example: President Rodrigo Duterte addressed on April 20, the PMA

graduates in Baguio City.

WHAT LEAD. Used when the event or what took place is more important than the person
involved in the story.

Example: The NSAT will be given Nov. 24 to all graduating High School
students desiring to enroll in four-year college course.

WHERE LEAD. Used when the place is unique and no prominent person is involved in the
story.

Example: The Philippines will be the site of the next Miss Universe Contest.

WHEN LEAD. Rarely used as the reader presumes the story to be timely. However, this lead
is useful when speaking of deadlines, holidays, and important dates.

Example: Today, almost to the hour, Revolutionary Government was

proclaimed by former President Joseph Estrada.
WHY LEAD. Used when the reason is more prominent or unique than what had happens.

Example: Because of poverty, around a hundred students dropped out from

school last year. This was learned from PNU president Nilo L. Rosas.

HOW LEAD. Used when the manner, mode, means, or method of achieving the story is
unnatural in way.

Example: By appealing to the school board, the Manila Science High School
was able to construct a three story concrete building.

WHENCE LEAD. History of the News

HENCE LEAD. Future of the News

2. Grammatical Beginning Lead

There are times when the lead is introduced by a kind of grammatical form which is usually
a phrase or a clause used to emphasize a feature. Here, the important W’s are found in the
main clause, not in the introductory or subordinate clause which is just a modifying feature
Prepositional Phrase Lead. Phrase is introduced by a preposition.

Example: With brooms and other cleaning equipment, boy scouts from the
Manila Public High Schools cleaned the City Markets in consonance with
Mayor Lito Atienza’s CLEAN and Beautification Drive.

Infinitive Phrase Lead. It begins with the sign of the infinitive to plus the main verb.

Example: To encourage tourism, balikbayans are given a warm welcome by

their fellow Filipinos.

Participial Phrase Lead. It is introduced by the present and past participle of the verb.

Example: šHoping to cop first place, the PNU wood-pushers honed up for the
chess championship games. (Present Participle). Dressed like a priests,
robbers were able to enter the bank. (Past Participle)

Gerund Phrase Lead. It is introduced by a gerund (a verbal noun ending in ing).

Example: Winning the development communication trophy, during the

national press conference was Araullo High School’s best achievement of the
year.

Clause Lead. The lead begins with a clause which may either be independent or
subordinate, or may either be a noun or an adjectival or adverbial clause.

Example: Because September 9 was Osmena Day all lessons dealt with the
life of the late president Sergio Osmena Sr. (Subordinate, adverbial)

3. Novelty Leads.

Some kinds of leads are best used in writing news features. They are written in such a way
that they attract the attention or carry out a definite purpose. Among these kinds of novelty
leads are: Astonisher lead. Contrast lead. Parody lead. Epigram lead. Punch lead. Picture
lead. One-word lead Background lead. Quotation lead. Descriptive lead. Question lead.

Astonisher Lead. Uses an interjection or an exclamatory sentence.

Example: Champion of District 1! Better look your best this week!

Contrast Lead. Describes two extremes or opposites for emphasis. The sharper the
contrast, the more effective the lead will be.
Example: Four months before the beautification and cleanup drive, zone 15 in
Tondo, Manila was the dirtiest district. Three months after, it won first place
in the CLEAN contest sponsored by the Department of Community and Local
Government.

Epigram Lead. Opens by quoting a common expression, verse, or epigram, at least familiar
in the locality.

Example: Like father, like son. Ramon Garcia Jr. graduated Valedictorian this
year Ten years ago, his father, Mr. Ramon Garcia Sr. also topped his class and
delivered his valedictory address on the same pulpit where the young Garcia
delivered his.

Picture Lead. Describes a person, a place, or an event and at the same time, creating a
mental picture of the subject matter in the mind of the reader.

Example: The new principal although only on his early thirties, is already
silver-haired. He seldom talks, but when he does, he talks with sense.

Background Lead. Similar to the picture lead, except that it describes the setting which is
more important than that of the event or the person involved.
Example: The PNU campus was turned into a miniature carnival ground on
September 1 during the 104th F-Day Celebration of the University. Decorated
with buntings and multi-colored lights, the quadrangle was a grand setting for
a barrio fiesta.

Descriptive Lead. Used when comparatively few descriptive words can vividly formulate an
imagery.

Example: Dressed in white Polo Barong, and with Diploma in their hands,
1,500 graduates marched down the stage to the tune of Osmena High March.

Parody Lead. Consist of a Parody of a well-known song, poems or lines.

Example: Water, water everywhere, but no water to drink. This was what the
food victims found in their dismay.

Punch Lead. A short, forceful word or expression. It is rarely used.

Example: Victory Day! Magsaysay High School celebrated on March 18 its

fifth Victory in the city-wide journalism contest.
One Word Lead.

Example: March! Thus, ordered Hi-Y president Lina Jr of Osmena High School
to start the “Walk for Health” fund raising drive.

Quotation Lead. Consist of speaker’s direct words which are very striking and which are
usually quoted from speech, a public address, or an interview.

Example: “The youth in the New Republic have become partners of the
government in its struggle for progress and advancement,” thus spoke PNU
Director Rene Romero to some 400 student delegates to the 2006
Hi-Y-Y-Teens Leadership Training Seminar held on December 26-30 at the
Edilberto Dagot Hall.

Question Lead. An answer to a question which is the basis of the news story.

Example: Who will reign as Miss Intramural’s this year? This will be known on
August 8 after the final screening to be held at the PNU Gym and Performing
Arts Center.

Reference: Cruz, Ceciliano-Jose, Campus Journalism and School Paper Advising, Second Edition, 2010,
Rex Printing Company, Inc., 84-86 P. Florentino St., Sta. Mesa Heights, Quezon City

Types of Interviews

1. Casual Interview
The casual interview can take place almost by accident. A news source and a reporter
happen to meet on the street or at a luncheon or cocktail party. Something that is
said, often without premeditation or design, arouses the curiosity of the reporter.
2. The personality interview
The personality interview is usually obtained for preparing a feature story and
ordinarily does not figure in a news story. There is not enough space in a daily news
paper for such an in-depth interview, though there is always an exception to the rule.
The personality concerned may be a celebrity or a nonentity who is doing something
out of the ordinary, like raising a snake farm, or growing alphonso mangoes or a
Ph.D shining shoes outside the local cinema house. The celebrity, either a politician,
a Prime Minister, a film star or a Nobel Prize winner is a known entity.
3. The news interview
The news is usually given on a one-to-one basis with the reporter interviewing his
victim with the sole purpose of getting news. The reporter may have only one subject
in mind but he/she would have been prepared with a set of questions on that subject
on which he is seeking information.
4. The telephone interview
One of the most important ways of collecting information is by means of the
telephone. The telephone is an asset. It can save time, but it has its limitations. A
pause of a few seconds in a face-to-face interview is of little consequence. But in a
telephone interview, a little hesitation while the reporter is busy formulating the
next question may result in the busy man at the other end of the line hanging up on
the interviewer.
How To Cover Speeches

Advice on Covering Speeches

Research the topic and speaker. Ask the organizers for a

speaker’s bio or look him up on the Web ahead of time. Get
background info on the topic, look at articles previously written on
it. And see if you can either get a copy of the speech ahead of time
or at least talk to the speaker in advance to get a feel for what the
speech will cover. This way you can write a skeleton outline ahead
of time and fill in the details during the speech. Of course, you may
learn of the speech so close to deadline that this may not be
possible.

Arrive early and find a good seat. Place may fill. Don’t want to
be late and miss part of speech. May not be allowed in after starts.
Sit where you can hear well.

Bring the right materials. Notebook, pen, recorder, perhaps a

camera or videocamera. Take notes as if recorder doesn’t exist. But
recorder is good to capture precise language – speaker may say
something controversial or other media may be there and you want
quotes that are consistent with theirs.

Estimate crowd size. Or ask organizers for a head count. If their

number seems way off, you may want to mention that.
Don’t summarize entire speech. Most speeches are boring and
really only deliver one message. So, don’t try to cover every point
the speaker makes. Focus on the most important stuff. That’s what
the reader wants to know. If s/he wanted to hear the whole
speech, she would have attended or watched on TV.

Listen for the take-away moment. Many speeches have a

pivotal moment that defines them. Maybe speaker says something
controversial or suggests an unusual plan of action. If audience has
a strong reaction to something said, chances are that’s the
takeaway moment. The take away moment is what you should lead
with, and go into more detail about later in your story.

Stay after. Don’t leave immediately after speech, unless you need
to cover another event or get back to the newsroom to make a
fast-approaching deadline. Ask audience members for their
reactions. If there’s a reception, go to it and talk to people there.
Try to grab the speaker and ask follow-up questions or clarify
points he made, if possible. This way you can ensure you
understood what he was saying. Don’t be timid in asking tough
questions.

Balance your story. People often make speeches in areas or

places they are comfortable with, where they know they will be
surrounded by their supporters. So, the audience’s reaction may be
very partisan. Talk to other people affected by the speech, who
may not be in attendance. If the College President, for example,
mentions at an alumni reception that he is raising tuition, that
won’t affect alumni. But it will affect students, who likely won’t be
in attendance. Get reaction from students.
Writing the story. Reporters have two jobs: pass along the
speaker’s message and also help readers examine that message.
Keep in mind that what’s newsworthy may not be what the speaker
thinks should be reported or the focus of your story. Or what’s
newsworthy may not be what was said during the speech but what
was not said. Or the news may be how the crowd reacted to what
was said. What’s newsworthy may not even factor into the speech.
The news may come after the speech, when the speaker is
answering questions. If an answer provides the most interesting
piece of news, lead with that. Do not include everything said in the
speech, just the most important parts. Take good notes so you can
use direct quotes in your story. Make sure all names and titles are
correct. Write the story as soon as possible. Writing the story as
soon as possible gets the information down more accurately.

http://journalism-education.cubreporters.org/2010/08/how-to-cover-speeches.html
http://ecoursesonline.iasri.res.in/mod/page/view.php?id=117811