1. How do I write an effective lead for an article?
Writing Leads
How do I write an effective lead for an article?

2. Bellringer
Take 10 minutes to finish analyzing your article from last week (these are going to be graded).
If you are finished, take out your journalistic writing notes, and review them.

3. When developing a lead ask yourself…
Is the information in a single sentence with facts arranged from most important to least important?
Is the sentence free of unattributed opinion?
Is it 25 words or less?
Is the sentence in active voice?
Is the lead free of unfamiliar proper nouns?

4. Active vs. Passive Voice
Make sure the subject of your sentence is doing the action rather than receiving it.
Passive Voice: A state prosecutor was asked by Gov. Jeb Bush on Friday to explore the circumstances of a dead woman's collapse 15 years ago.
Active Voice: Gov. Jeb Bush asked a state prosecutor on Friday to explore the circumstances of a dead woman’s collapse 15 years ago.
Complete practice handout.

5. Write a lead based on the following set of facts
Who? Oakdale firefighters
What? investigating second suspicious fire in two years at same location
Where? Oakdale Adult School When? The fire started 5 a.m. Tuesday.
Why? "That's still a mystery, but it was definitely arson," according to Oakdale Police Chief Bryant Tam, at the scene of the fire.
How? Tam said investigators from his department found an empty can of turpentine and burn patterns to suggest the use of an accelerant; fire caused roughly $35,000 in damage.

6. Write a lead based on the following set of facts
Who? 117 passengers and six crew members on PDQ Air Lines flight 231 from San Francisco International to Los Angeles International
What? uninjured in emergency landing when plane skidded to a stop
Where? San Francisco International Airport When? 7:27 p.m. Saturday
Why? The front landing gear would not retract, according to preliminary report cited by Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Bradley Pritt, who promised further investigation into the incident.
How? When the plane's belly hit the runway, it emitted a shower of sparks that one 4-year-old witness said reminded him of the "4th of July"; the pilot had turned the plane around after realizing the problem and circled for three hours to burn fuel before landing.

7. Write a lead based on the following set of facts
Who? Cypress City Council members
What? voted to authorize a November ballot measure that, if approved, would allow the city to fluoridate its water
Where? city hall, 2422 Elm St.
When? last night
Why? a 10-year grassroots campaign by a group that calls itself Citizens for Public Health