What is a news lead?

A news lead is the opening sentence or paragraph of a news article that summarizes the most important information and entices the reader to continue reading. It typically answers the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how in a concise and engaging manner. The lead is meant to grab the reader's attention and provide a quick overview of the story.

News Lead

A news lead is the opening paragraph or paragraphs of a news story that provide the most important, essential information about an event or situation. It summarizes the "5 W's and 1 H" (who, what, when, where, why, and how) of the story.

Purpose of a News Lead:

- To immediately grab the reader's attention
- To provide a concise overview of the story
- To entice the reader to continue reading
- To establish the tone and voice of the article

Characteristics of a Strong News Lead:

- Current: Focuses on recent events or situations
- Newsworthy: Presents information that is relevant, interesting, and impactful
- Specific: Provides concrete details about the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the story
- Concise: Gets to the point quickly and efficiently
- Objective: Avoids bias and presents the facts in a neutral manner
- Engaging: Hooks the reader with a compelling or intriguing sentence or phrase

Types of News Leads:

- Summary Lead: A brief overview of the main points of the story
- Question Lead: Poses a question that the story attempts to answer
- Anecdotal Lead: An engaging story or anecdote that illustrates the main point
- Nut Graph Lead: A single paragraph that succinctly summarizes the most important aspects of the story
- Pyramid Lead: Gradually builds up to the main point, revealing key details as the paragraph progresses