C O M M U N IC AT IO N F O R

JO U R N A L I S T S
WRITING A LEAD
AS A BUDDING JOURNALIST, HOW
SHOULD YOU WRITE THE OPENING
PARAGRAPH OF YOUR ARTICLE?
WRITING THE OPENING PARAGRAPH OF A NEWS ARTICLE
OR THE LEAD IS ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING TASKS.
THE MANNER OF PRESENTING THE LEAD MAY DISSUADE
THE READERS FROM READING THE ENTIRE NEWS ARTICLE.
WHATEVER TYPE OF LEAD YOU DECIDE TO USE, REMEMBER
TO:
• EMPHASIZE THE MOST IMPORTANT DETAILS;
• BE SPECIFIC AND CONCISE; AND
• USE ACTIVE VERBS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
WHAT IS A LEAD IN AN ARTICLE?
WHAT IS A LEAD IN AN ARTICLE?
THE LEAD OF AN ARTICLE IS THE OPENING PARAGRAPH OF
AN ARTICLE. IT IS CONSIDERED THE MOST
IMPORTANT ASPECT OF A NEWS STORY AS IT IS WHAT
DETERMINES WHETHER THE READER OR LISTENER READS
OR LISTENS TO THE NEWS STORY. THE LEAD ALWAYS
BEGINS THE STORY – IT IS THEREFORE THE FIRST SENTENCE
OR FIRST TWO SENTENCES OF THE STORY.
IT CONTAINS THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION
OF THE NEWS STORY. THE INFORMATION IN IT HAS
TO BE WRITTEN IN AN EXTREMELY CLEAR,
INTERESTING AND CONCISE MANNER. A LEAD OF A
NEWS STORY HAS TO BE INTERESTING ENOUGH TO
HOOK YOUR READER OR LISTENER.
TYPES OF ARTICLE LEAD
SUMMARY LEADS

A SUMMARY LEAD, SOMETIMES CALLED A

TRADITIONAL LEAD, SHARES THE WHO, WHAT,
WHERE, WHEN, WHY, AND HOW OF A STORY IN AS
FEW WORDS AS POSSIBLE. OF ALL THE TYPES OF
LEADS, SUMMARY LEAD IS ONE OF THE MOST
COMMON IN DAY-TO-DAY NEWS EVENTS.
QUESTION LEADS

QUESTIONS CREATE CURIOSITY. THERE’S NO

BETTER WAY TO GET YOUR READER CURIOUS
THAN TO GET THEM ACTIVELY THINKING. A
QUESTION LEAD WILL ACCOMPLISH THAT.
DELAYED IDENTIFICATION LEADS

IN A DELAYED IDENTIFICATION LEAD, SOME

DETAILS ARE GIVEN IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OR
LEAD PARAGRAPH, BUT OTHER DETAILS COME IN A
LATER PARAGRAPH. THIS ADDS DRAMATIC EFFECT
TO JOURNALISTIC WRITING, AND CAN SOMETIMES
BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN JUST A QUICK
SUMMARY.
CREATIVE LEADS
THERE ARE ALSO INTERPRETATIONS OF THE LEAD THAT
ARE NOT MARRIED TO TRADITIONAL JOURNALISM. IF
YOU’RE NOT UNDER PRESSURE TO GET THE FACTS OUT
QUICKLY, YOU MIGHT PLAY WITH ONE OR MORE OF THESE
CREATIVE OPTIONS. THERE’S THE ZINGER LEAD, WHICH IS
ALL ABOUT THE DRAMA. THERE’S ALSO AN ANECDOTAL
LEAD, IN WHICH THE FIRST PARAGRAPH UTILIZES AN
ANECDOTE OR OTHER NARRATIVE DEVICE TO MAKE A
MORE EMOTIONAL IMPACT.
SINGLE ITEM LEADS
A GOOD LEAD DOESN’T HAVE TO HAVE THE WHOLE
STORY FIT IN ONE SENTENCE. IN A SINGLE TIME
LEAD, ONLY ONE OF THE STORY DETAILS IS
PRESENTED. THESE ARE SOMETIMES CALLED
SHORT SENTENCE LEADS. THE USE OF A SHORT
SENTENCE OR SHORT PHRASE IS WHAT ENGAGES
THE READER, BECAUSE THEY WANT TO KNOW THE
OTHER DETAILS OF THE STORY.
EXAMPLE OF A LEAD IN A NEWS ARTICLE