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News Reporting & Writing Why Leads Fail Gerry Doyle

News Reporting & Writing Why Leads Fail Gerry Doyle. Leads: Guiding Rules. Just as there are principles TO FOLLOW for writing news leads: Grab the reader’s attention Tell what was the most important and/or interesting thing that happened Have some or all of the 5 Ws and 1 H Be concise ….

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News Reporting & Writing Why Leads Fail Gerry Doyle

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  1. News Reporting & WritingWhy Leads FailGerry Doyle

  2. Leads: Guiding Rules Just as there are principles TO FOLLOW for writing news leads: • Grab the reader’s attention • Tell what was the most important and/or interesting thing that happened • Have some or all of the 5 Ws and 1 H • Be concise • …

  3. Leads: Guiding Rules There are guidelines on what NOT TO DO when writing leads. …

  4. Leads: Don’t Do This … • Avoid topic leads: Hong Kong’s football team played against Singapore last night. Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying appeared before the Legislative Council this morning.

  5. Leads: Don’t Do This … • Avoid overused sayings from novels: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

  6. Leads: Don’t Do This … • Avoid quote leads. Quotes are usually opinions, and may not fairly summarize a story. If you DO use a quote for a news story lead, it better be GREAT: “I’m back,” Jesus said this morning.

  7. Leads: Don’t Do This … • Avoid question leads: “Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to sprint uphill from Bonham Road to Kotewall Road at the top of Hong Kong University?” • A journalist’s job is to explain. Questions in leads and even in headlines are crutches that show laziness. Get to the point.

  8. Leads: Don’t Do This … • Avoid the chair-leaning lead: After a while, in a startling and unexpected development, the deeply sorrowful Jesus H. Christ, 33, son of the Almighty, leaned back again an olive tree, stretched out his 5-foot, 10-inch frame, put his head in his hands as tears slowly rolled down his cheeks and His very close associates looked on.

  9. Leads: Don’t Do This … • Don’t write any lead beginning with the word “Imagine.” “Imagine that you had no legs. Then you might have an idea of what life is like for poor Joe Schmoe.”

  10. Leads: Don’t Do This … • Avoid referencing the dictionary: Webster's defines lazy writing as quoting from a dictionary to start a story.

  11. Leads: Don’t Do This … • Avoid the “Thanks to” lead: Thanks to innovative technology developed at Queen Mary Hospital, Harry Wong can walk, dress himself and go to work every day.

  12. Leads: Don’t Do This … • Avoid the one-word lead: Cynical. That is what most people believe journalists are.

  13. Leads: Don’t Do This • Avoid poor plays on words: Critics say the Hong Kong government is barking up the wrong tree in trying to ban dogs from public parks.

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