and

Leads
Nut Graphs

De Dios Dee Domingo Estaris

Lead (lede)

tells the reader what story is about

teaser/foreshadowing

backed up with information - no material to support =

wrong lead

Why are leads important?

Beginning of your story

A promise to the reader of whats to come

Readers scan headlines

3 seconds before reader decides to read or turn to next story

Hard-news Leads (Summary Lead)

one or two sentences

summarizes what the story is about

direct to the point

who, what, where, when, and why

Nut Graphs (Focus Graph)

Paragraph

Explains the point of the story

The focus is on the so what

Soft Leads (Feature or Delayed Lead)

can be several paragraphs

takes a little longer to get to main point of story

storytelling approach

tells point of the story in the nut graph

The danger of soft leads is that ineffective soft leads are deceptive.

When do I use a hard or soft lead?

Consider the following:

the significance of the news

the timing

proximity (interest to your local readers)

subject matter

editors preference

Hard-news leads are used in case of death, disaster, major changes in the law, and
breaking news.

Timing and proximity used in

the choice of lead
The

example of the soft lead

written

before the law was passed

the

newspapers readers were not directly affected by

the law

The

example of hard-news lead

immediately
its

after the law was passed

readers were affected people in the newspapers

circulation area

There are no set of rules to determine when to use a hardnews or soft lead.
Its a matter of judgement

One guideline is the Wow Test.

If the subject is very WOW, then consider using a

hard-news lead.

Hard-news leads

Should answer several, but not all, basic questions

(who, what, where, when, and why)

Dont cram them all into the lead

Choose only the most important factors for the lead

Most common type of summary lead = who and what

Example of crammed summary lead

Subject leads are most effective when they follow

subject-verb-object order

Avoid writing long summary leads that begin with clauses

Order of information

Points of emphasis should be the first or last word

Decide which element is the most important

Subject-verb-object format
WHO

WHAT

WHEN

WHERE

WHY

Active vs. Passive Voice

Active Voice: stresses who is doing the action

Passive Voice: stresses to whom the action is done

Use passive voice when emphasis is on what happened

Active vs. Passive Voice

Active Voice

Stresses who is doing the

action

A pet iguana started a fire in

a
split-level
house
in
Hillsmere Shores by knocking
over a heat lamp with its
tail, fire officials said.

Passive Voice

Stresses to whom
action is done

the

A fire in a split-level house

in Hillsmere Shores was
started by a pet iguana that
knocked over a heat lamp
with its tail, fire officials
said.

Active vs. Passive Voice

Active Voice

Passive Voice

Time Element

Place the time element where it is accurate

When the news occurred yesterday, the time element does

not come first in the sentence

Example of a confusing time element:

University officials agreed to raise tuition $100 Monday.

What really happened:

University officials agreed Monday to raise tuition by $100.

Delayed Identification

Used when the who is not a well-known person in the

community

Identify the person by age, location, occupation, or

another modifier

The person in the lead should be identified in the second

paragraph

First name that should be used is the one referred to in

the lead

Delayed Identification

Age
An 18-year-old Tampa ma was shot and killed
Wednesday after he and two friends confronted a gunman
who had beaten a friend of theirs, Tampa police said.
Warren Smith III, of 3524 E. 26th Ave., was shot

Occupation

Two Minneapolis meter monitors have been charged

with stealing an estimated $35,000 worth of nickels,
dimes and quarters from parking meters.
Dale Timinskis, 42, and Leroy Siner, 40, both of

Delayed Identification

Location
A Joliet man who got up to change the channel on a TV
set was hit in the forehead by a stray bullet and critically
wounded, Joliet police said Monday.
Jimmie Anderson, 28, of 211 S. Chicago St., was

Other

identifier

A former Duke University student who posed as a wealthy

French baron was a con artist with lavish desires, said a
judge wo sentenced the imposter to three years in prison.
Maurice Jeffrey Locke Rothschild, 38, who changed

Updated Leads

Forward spin: a process wherein leads are updated by

advancing the story to the next step

Also referred to as second-day leads

Impact Leads

Explains how the readers and viewers will be affected by

an issue

Helpful on bureaucratic stories

Answers the questions So what? What does this news

mean to a reader?

Can be written in a hard-news summary form or in a more

creative form

Information must be factual

When using an indirect lead, a clear nut graph must be

written

Impact Leads
Direct summary approach

Impact Leads
Creative impact lead

Attribution in Leads

Tells the reader where the information came from

Eliminate attribution if information is factual and you

have witnessed it or have firsthand knowledge of its truth

Attribute to the source if you received the information

Accusatory statements must be attributed

Quotes or partial quotes must also be attributed

General references may be used

Fact vs. Opinion

Accusations

A person is innocent until proven guilty in court

Attribute any accusatory statements to police or other

authorities, especially when using a suspects name

Allegedly can be used when the charges have not been

proven

Accusations

Quotes

Full quotes in leads are difficult and awkward

Use of partial quotes is a more effective technique

Reference quotes may be used in leads

Both quotes should be backed up in the story with the full

quote or with the context

Quotes

Quotes

Attribution First or Last

First

Last

Brief

Most important
information

Cumbersome
the lead

and

slows

Attribution First or Last

Attribution First or Last

Cluttered Attribution

Most common cause: too much information about where

and when something was said

How to avoid:

Put some of the material in the second paragraph

Put the location of the meeting further down in the story,

or eliminate it unless it is important to the reader

Cluttered Attribution

Cluttered Attribution

Soft Leads

Also called delayed leads because it delays information.

Can be fun to read, but also tedious if used improperly.

Guidelines in Writing Soft Leads

When

publishing for online use, keep the nut graph

high in the story, at least by the third paragraph.
o

Online readers are impatient to know the main focus of

the story, which is why most experts prefer the use of
summary leads.

For articles using soft leads, use the nut graph as the
articles summary blurb to explain more about the story.

Guidelines in Writing Soft Leads

Put any cumbersome attribution at the end of the lead or in

another paragraph.

Guidelines in Writing Soft Leads

Most importantly, get to the main point quickly

The example begins with a soft lead sentence, but the main point
is in the lead already

Types of Soft Leads

Descriptive
A

Lead

type of lead that describes a person, place or event.

Can

be used for news or feature stories.

Types of Soft Leads

Anecdotal

Lead

lead about a particular person who is one of many

people sharing the same problem.

Starts

with a story of a person or event.

Readers

can relate better to a persons perspective of

the problem than to a general statement of the problem.

Types of Soft Leads

Narrative

Lead

Similar

to an anecdotal lead; it tells a story with enough

dramatic action to make readers feel they are witnessing
the event.

Uses

elements of fiction writing, e.g. dialogue, scene

setting, and foreshadowing.

Make

sure the story is dramatic and entertaining enough

to use this kind of lead because it further delays the nut
graph.

Other Soft Leads

Features of descriptive, narrative, and anecdotal leads can

be combined to create variations on these three main soft
leads.

Other Soft Leads

Focus-on-a-person
You

leads

can focus on a person in two ways:

An

anecdotal approach, telling a little story about a

person.

descriptive approach, describing the person in

action.

Other Soft Leads

Focus-on-a-person

leads

Other Soft Leads

Contrast

leads

Can

be used to set up stories about conflicts or

unusual circumstances.

The

two most common contrast leads revolve

around circumstances and time.

Contrast Leads
But-Guess-What
Revolve

Contrast

around circumstances used to explain

something unusual.

Contrast Leads
Then-and-Now

Contrast

Used

to show change. The words then and now

arent necessarily used.

This

type of lead is useful when the background of the

story is interesting or relevant.

Other Soft Leads

Teaser
Uses

leads

the element of surprise to tease the reader

into the story, into something unusual.

Other Soft Leads

Mystery

leads

Promises

the reader a treat or surprise for reading on.

This lead is formatted like a mystery novel.

Can

start with a vague pronoun (it, they) to enhance

mystery.

Other Soft Leads

Build-on-a-Quote

leads

This

type of lead builds on a good quote that backs up

your first sentence.

Be

careful not to repeat the quote too much.

Other Soft Leads

List

leads

Uses
Be

few brief examples that lead to your main focus.

careful not to use too many examples. Three

examples is best.

Other Soft Leads

Question

leads

These

can be effective if the reader is interested in

finding the answer to the question. Otherwise, they
become bored and disinterested.

Yes/No

questions are dangerous. Questions that require a

more thoughtful answer are preferable.

Other Soft Leads

Clich

leads

Occasionally

used as a clever lead that uses a play on

words.
Avoid

clichs in general.

Leads to Avoid

Good News/Bad News Leads

boring, judgmental

Crystal Ball Leads

Dream-sequence leads that foretell the future

Leads that emphasize If they had known

Nightmare Leads

Leads relating to past experience

Comparing a bad experience to a nightmare

Nightmare became a reality

for local police yesterday
when a Niagara Falls drug
dealer was arrested at the
Greater
Buffalo
International
Airport.
Hidden in his baggage were
$50, 000 worth of heroine

Chair-sitter Leads

Setting the scene with events that are too usual

Poor use of but-guess-what leads

Plop-a-person Lead

Misuse of focus-on-a-person lead

When the person focused in the lead suddenly

disappears

Weather-report leads

Using the weather to set the scene when it is unrelated

to the story

Stereotype Leads

Common in features about older people, women, and

groups with special interests

Trying hard to compliment but reinforces stereotypes

instead

How to Find Your Lead

Reader Interest

Memorable Item

Most memorable impression or fact

Focus on a Person

What would the reader find most interesting

Person who exemplifies the issue

Descriptive Approach

Will the description of the scene relate to the focus?

How to Find Your Lead

Mystery Approach

Build on a Quote

Would a then-and-now approach work?

Problem/Solution

A great quote to back up the lead

Contrast

Tease the reader with a surprise that leads to the nut graph

Setting up a problem so the readers would want to discover the

solution

Narrative Storytelling

Reconstruct the events to put the reader on the scene