Over the decades newsmen have developed different kinds of leads. Eleven distinct kinds of leads will be discussed in this four-part article:
# Who Leads
The Who leads are those that are built around an individual or a group of individuals. Such leads are most suited for profiles or news features where the entire report is about an individual.
A good Who lead was written by Science News when APJ Abdul Kalam became the President of India.
NEW DELHI: He’s an aeronautical engineer, a devout Muslim, and a workaholic who shuns the limelight. But however one describes India’s new president, Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam hardly fits the mould of his predecessors, career politicians being rewarded for decades of faithful service. Indeed, his scientific colleagues hope that Kalam’s election will send a new message to the country’s 1 billion citizens: Technology can take you to the top.
It is not essential that an individual should be well known for a Who lead to be written. There are times when a report is based on the heroics of an unknown individual. In such cases, the Who leads are built on the individual.
KENDRAPARA: A bride in this Orissa district stopped the priest from continuing with the marriage rituals after she found the groom reeking of liquor.
A staunch anti-liquor activist the bride, Tuni Jena (24), decided to call off the marriage with Bharat Jena after she smelt liquor on the groom’s breath.
# What Leads
The What leads inform the reader of what has happened at an event. These are, by far, the most common form of leads. They are simple, straightforward and stick to the main news point.
NEW DELHI: The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was inducted into the Indian army on Thursday.
# Why Leads
The Why leads give reasons for “what” has happened. They satisfy the curiosity of the readers by explaining why an event has been postponed or why an action is being undertaken.
When NASA decided to postpone the landing of Atlantis spacecraft that was carrying Indo-US astronaut Sunita Williams, Indians who were following the story would have been left wondering. The reporter whetted their curiosity by writing a Why lead.
FLORIDA: Bad weather has forced NASA to delay the landing of space shuttle Atlantis, bringing Sunita Williams home after a 194-day record space odyssey, by a day.
Kinds of Leads II: When, Where and How
Kinds of Leads III: Simple, Multiple Point, Quotation
Kinds of Leads IV: Question, Suspense
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