Transcript Ledes and Inverted Pyramid

The Inverted Pyramid
and the Lede
Writing News Stories
Inverted Pyramid
• Most Important information goes first
– Many people only read the first two or three
paragraphs
– People don’t have time to read the whole story
– Headline writers can easily write a headline
– Editors can cut from the bottom if your story is
too long
INVERTED PYRAMID
MOST IMPORTANT
LEDE
ADDITIONAL FACTS
INFORMATION GOES
FIRST (LEDE)
QUOTE
TRANSITION (FACTS)
QUOTE
FOLLOWED BY
QUOTES,
TRANSITIONS, FACTS,
DETAILS, ETC. THAT
ARE LESS AND LESS
IMPORTANT AS YOU
GET TO THE END OF
THE STORY
TRANSITION (FACTS)
QUOTE
TRANSITION (FACTS)
ADDITIONAL FACTS
QUOTE
TRANSITION (FACTS)
QUOTE
TO WRITE A GOOD LEDE
• THE WRITER MUST:
• FIND CRUCIAL FACTS (5Ws and H)
• WRITE SUCCINCTLY
• GRAB THE READER IN A SIMPLE
UNCOMPLICATED WAY (HOOK)
• MAKE THE READER WANT TO
READ THE STORY
How to Write a Lede
• Go through your notes and highlight THE MOST
IMPORTANT information you have gathered.
• Determine the 5 Ws and H for your story
• Begin the lede by answering those questions –
usually who, what, when and sometimes where
• Your can save the how, why and where for the
next paragraph
HOW LONG IS TOO LONG?
• LEDES ARE TO BE WRITTEN
SUCCINCTLY – THAT MEANS MAKE
EVERY WORD COUNT
– ONE OR TWO SENTENCES – NO MORE
THAN THREE AT THE MOST.
– 30 WORDS
QUALITIES OF A GOOD LEDE
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
INFORMATIVE
BRIEF
CLEAR
ACCURATE
SIMPLE
DIRECT
ACTIVE
OBJECTIVE
COLORFUL
TASTEFUL
WHERE TO START?
• BEGIN WITH INTEREST AROUSING
WORDS:
– Loud music, bright costumes, sobbing
cheerleaders, angry parents, hollow silence,
buzzing computers, racing engines, roaring
crowds, winter wonderland, cluttered rooms,
crowded halls, slamming doors, worried
students, overworked teachers . . .
WHERE NOT TO START
• AVOID BEGINNING WITH:
• A, AN, THE, AT A MEETING,
YESTERDAY, LAST NIGHT, LAST
WEEK, RECENTLY, MONDAY,
ACCORDING TO, IN THE OPINION OF,
IT IS IT WAS IT WILL BE, THERE WAS,
THERE ARE THERE WILL BE . . . .
ANOTHER THING TO AVOID
• PERSONAL PRONOUNS
– I, ME, YOU, YOURS, US, WE
– ONLY USE PERSONAL PRONOUNS
INSIDE QUOTATION MARKS
• AVOID IMPERATIVES TOO
– VOTE TODAY, CLEAN UP THE
COURTYARD, ETC.
SUMMARY LEDES
• SUMMARY LEDES ARE MOST OFTEN
USED FOR STRAIGHT NEWS
• SUMMARY LEDES ARE THE BRIEFEST
POSSIBLE SUMMARY OF THE STORY
• INCLUDES THE 5 Ws AND H, BUT
ONLY THOSE THAT ARE MOST
IMPORTANT
• USUALLY THE WHAT, WHO, HOW
Good Ledes
• A landslide triggered by heavy rain has hit a
town in southern Mexico, killing at least four
people and engulfing a number of houses,
officials say.
• Reason it's a good lead: This lead does a
good job of capturing what, how, where, and
who. It is clear, concise, and gets to the point
right away. It also grabs the readers attention.
Good Ledes
• With no debate, the City Council passed an
ordinance Thursday to help fight crime by
installing more street lights in three
neighborhoods
Good Ledes
• Four years ago AIDS victim Edwin
Jimenez, 22, learned he had only six months
to live.
Good Ledes
• A teen-age driver lost control of her car
Tuesday night, paralyzing herself and
killing a passenger. A 16-year-old riding in
the back seat walked away only scratched
and bruised.
Good Ledes
• Spray-painted pitch forks and crowns are
appearing on walls throughout the city. The
symbols are trademarks of the Crips, a Los
Angeles-based gang with members across
the nation.
Not-so-good Ledes
• Courses taught online offer an alternative to
the traditional college classroom learning
experience.
Not-so-good
• The week of Homecoming will be filled
with numerous activities and freebies for
students.
Not-so-good
• The campus is home to a variety of stray
and wild animals.
Not-so-good
• Police Chief Barry Kopperud is concerned
about juvenile crime in the city.