Chapter five The lead: will the reader follow?

Introduction – the aims of this lecture are to help you understand: The vital importance of a news story’s ‘intro’ Different types of intros Traps to avoid when writing intros Tips for strong intro writing Story planning and organisation

Why is an intro so important? It is a reporter’s first, best, and possibly only chance to attract readers No matter how interesting a story is, there is no point writing it if you cannot interest people in reading it Newspaper readers look at a headline first, then an intro

Intros are important for radio, television, and the web too Intros are as important to radio, television and web articles as they are for print Radio intros sometimes contain sound grabs Television intros often contain the most compelling vision from a story Web intros work much the same way as print intros

An example of a good intro Desperately attempting to flee the bombing in southern Lebanon, Maged Ibrahim and his family knew death could come from the sky at any moment

An example of a poor intro Gassan Taleb spent yesterday afternoon surrounded by children in a schoolyard, which was no great novelty given that he works as a school bus driver

Qualities of a good intro Gets to the point quickly Appears to be simple Grabs attention Makes sense Does not overwhelm with too much information Is catchy, sometimes quirky, but not smart or too clever

Rules for writing a strong intro As a general rule news story intros should be a single sentence in a stand- alone paragraph ranging from 20 to 25 words and no more An intro can be shorter but rarely longer Rarely, if there is good reason, an intro can be two shorter sentences in one paragraph

More ‘rules’ for strong intros Do not beat up, promising more than a story can deliver Avoid intros that begin with long titles Use active voice Imagine how you would explain a story verbally Tell a story

Different types of intros Direct Attribution Summary Decision Delayed Question Quotation Direct address

Examples of each type Direct: A string of powerful explosions rocked three Madrid train stations last night, killing at least 62 people Attribution: Australians fleeing Lebanon in a truck convoy escaped injury when bombs exploded nearby, Australian foreign affairs officials said Summary: A man charged with the stabbing murder of another man in Sydney has been refused bail

More different approaches Decisions: The Administrative Council has upheld a decision to deny a man a gun licence because he is a bikie gang member Delayed: The economy is running hot and petrol prices have little to do with it. Rising prices are across the board Question: Is the value of human life less in a remote Aboriginal community than in a city?

More different intros Quotation: 'Hi,’ the said. ‘Police issued a search warrant on my house on Friday, and I was suspended from work. Jane X.’ Direct address: It was on the Pacific Highway at Grafton. A young woman ran from the kerb and opened my car’s back door. She had a gun

Examples of intros that don’t work No one was talking about the orange- bellied parrot when Environment Minister Ian Campbell declared, two days into the last election campaign, that the Bald Hills wind farm - smack in the middle of prime marginal seat territory - was in trouble (The Australian, July 29, 2006)

Why don’t these work? It is easy to have a big idea. It is harder to have a vision. Great cities need visionaries. Melbourne needs one, or more, for the Docklands (The Age, July 29, 2006) The Sydney Town Council last night discussed ways to reduce vandalism For two long days in Australia’s south east, it has been summer in name only

Story planning – key steps As a first step, research the subject or person Make a list of people to be interviewed Write down key questions to ask Network with others in your own newsroom Organise your material

Where to start researching Your own news outlet’s archive. Then try a web search But beware of mistakes in old material – check it Talk to sources, chief-of-staff and colleagues Use your research to help frame questions and, later, to help organise your story