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

INFORMATION GOES FIRST (LEDE)

FOLLOWED BY QUOTES, TRANSITIONS, FACTS, DETAILS, ETC. THAT ARE LESS AND LESS IMPORTANT AS YOU GET TO THE END OF THE STORY

LEDE

ADDITIONAL FACTS

QUOTE

TRANSITION (FACTS)

QUOTE

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.