News stories don’t try to keep a reader in suspense. They first recap the story’s main
points, then go into details for those readers who want more information.
Unlike some kinds of writing, the lead or first paragraph of a news story doesn’t just tell
what the piece is going to be about; it tries to answer the reader’s most pressing questions
in the story’s first few words.
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
Get to the point!
When writing a lead, think of the 5 W’s and an H in the following way:
Who: The “actor,” the one making the news.
What: The action, also answering “did or will do what?”
When: The time that something did or will take place. In an advance story, include the day and date. In a follow-up, choose the date nearest to the story’s publication date; the day is usually unnecessary. With past dates or little importance, “recently” can provide this reference.
Where: In a school paper, the school’s name is sufficient for a local story.
Why: May be stated or implied, but the answer should relate to specifics in the lead.
How: Also a stated or implied answer, directly related to the lead.
Start from the 5 W’s and H.
- Avoid beginning stories with a date or time, especially a past one.
- Seek compelling words as openers.
- Select strong verbs in the active voice, if possible.
- Shun, long drawn-out verb phrases such as “will be going” in favor of “will go” or even “goes.”
- Limit your lead to approximately 30 words.
- Choose facts and details to sum up the entire story and give it direction.
- Identify the people named in the lead, but avoid long, complicated titles.
- Do not use the words I, you, me or their derivatives outside quotation marks, or
- expressions such as “Do it now” with you implied as subject.
- Polish and edit to make every word count.