5th Week Class Review and Quiz Info
3rd assignment: News Lead
Eight Types of News Leads
What's Next
Due: Monday, Feb. 17th, 7:00 a.m.
Submission: Upload to (the magic) Canvas
Read Harrower Excerpt for reference
Writing the lead
Specifying the type of your lead
Listing other important information not included in the lead
The night before Valentine's Day, Mike openned an Amazon package: a Valentine's Day gift for Emma, her girlfriend. That was when an alien jumped outside.
The night before Valentine's Day, Mike openned an Amazon package: a Valentine's Day gift for Emma, her girlfriend. That was when an alien jumped outside.
The night before Valentine's Day, Mike openned an Amazon package: a Valentine's Day gift for Emma, her girlfriend. That was when an alien jumped outside.
The night before Valentine's Day, Mike openned an Amazon package: a Valentine's Day gift for Emma, her girlfriend. That was when an alien jumped outside.
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
Basic news leads
Anecodotal / narrative leads
Scene-setting leads
Blind leads
Roundup leads
Direct address leads
The startling statement
Wordplay leads
The summary lead: The one we just used.
The delayed identification lead:
A college student at Kindiana University was sent to the hospital after he opened an unusual Amazon package.
Mike, 22, a sophomore studying cosmology, saw an alien in the package and passed out. "I was scared to death." He recalled.
Some stories unfold slowly, as the writer eases into the topic with an engaging or meaningful anecdote. Back in 2099, Mike was a sophomore studying cosmology at Kindiana University. He started a relationship with Emma, a Physics major, two years ago. A week before Valentine's Day, he bought a rose as a gift for Emma from Amazon. When he was making the payment, Amazon asked whether he wanted a surprise in the package.
"I like surprises and I thought 'Why not have the surprise from Amazon. Maybe they'll put 1 million dollar check in there'"
Six days later, when he returned from the gym, he saw the package in front of his door. He opened it and got shocked...
Some stories unfold slowly, as the writer eases into the topic with an engaging or meaningful anecdote. Back in 2099, Mike was a sophomore studying cosmology at Kindiana University. He started a relationship with Emma, a Physics major, two years ago. A week before Valentine's Day, he bought a rose as a gift for Emma from Amazon. When he was making the payment, Amazon asked whether he wanted a surprise in the package.
"I like surprises and I thought 'Why not have the surprise from Amazon. Maybe they'll put 1 million dollar check in there'"
Six days later, when he returned from the gym, he saw the package in front of his door. He opened it and got shocked...
It was a dark and stormy night. Mike was sleeping at home. Several knocks on the door waked him up. He opened the door and saw his Amazon package. What he saw later scared him to death...
More extreme versions of the delayed identification leads. You tease readers by withholding a key piece of information, then spring it on them in a subsequent paragraph. Mike never thought he would appear in the news. He was just a normal college student like everyone else. Everything changed when he opened the Amazon package two days ago.
There was an alien in it. When he clicked "Yes. I allow a surprise in my package" on Amazon, he didn't expect an alien. But there the alien was, first knocked Mike unconscious and then knocked him back into consciousness. Then the alien flew out of the window.
More extreme versions of the delayed identification leads. You tease readers by withholding a key piece of information, then spring it on them in a subsequent paragraph. Mike never thought he would appear in the news. He was just a normal college student like everyone else. Everything changed when he opened the Amazon package two days ago.
There was an alien in it. When he clicked "Yes. I allow a surprise in my package" on Amazon, he didn't expect an alien. But there the alien was, first knocked Mike unconscious and then knocked him back into consciousness. Then the alien flew out of the window.
Impress the reader with a long list:
Steven Spielberg would want to make a film of it. Jackie Chan wouldn't dare to fight at this scene. President Donald Trump would call it fake news. Kylie Jenner would want a selfie there. Even Sheldon, who claims to know a lot, would doubt his IQ after hearing it.
An alien appeared in an Amazon package.
Impress the reader with a long list:
Steven Spielberg would want to make a film of it. Jackie Chan wouldn't dare to fight at this scene. President Donald Trump would call it fake news. Kylie Jenner would want a selfie there. Even Sheldon, who claims to know a lot, would doubt his IQ after hearing it.
An alien appeared in an Amazon package.
Impress the reader with a long list:
Steven Spielberg would want to make a film of it. Jackie Chan wouldn't dare to fight at this scene. President Donald Trump would call it fake news. Kylie Jenner would want a selfie there. Even Sheldon, who claims to know a lot, would doubt his IQ after hearing it.
An alien appeared in an Amazon package.
Impress the reader with a long list:
Steven Spielberg would want to make a film of it. Jackie Chan wouldn't dare to fight at this scene. President Donald Trump would call it fake news. Kylie Jenner would want a selfie there. Even Sheldon, who claims to know a lot, would doubt his IQ after hearing it.
An alien appeared in an Amazon package.
Impress the reader with a long list:
Steven Spielberg would want to make a film of it. Jackie Chan wouldn't dare to fight at this scene. President Donald Trump would call it fake news. Kylie Jenner would want a selfie there. Even Sheldon, who claims to know a lot, would doubt his IQ after hearing it.
An alien appeared in an Amazon package.
Impress the reader with a long list:
Steven Spielberg would want to make a film of it. Jackie Chan wouldn't dare to fight at this scene. President Donald Trump would call it fake news. Kylie Jenner would want a selfie there. Even Sheldon, who claims to know a lot, would doubt his IQ after hearing it.
An alien appeared in an Amazon package.
Use the second-person voice to speak directly to you, the reader. You want to buy your girlfriend a rose for Valentine's Day. You buy it on Amazon. Several days later, after working out at the gym, you get back home and find the package in front of your door. You open it carelessly while open the door. Suddenly, an alien jumped outside of package. How would you reack?
Mike passed out.
Use the second-person voice to speak directly to you, the reader. You want to buy your girlfriend a rose for Valentine's Day. You buy it on Amazon. Several days later, after working out at the gym, you get back home and find the package in front of your door. You open it carelessly while open the door. Suddenly, an alien jumped outside of package. How would you reack?
Mike passed out.
Sorry, I tried but failed to make leads of these two types for the story. Please read the two examples in the Excerpt.
Is it clear? Get the key ideas across.
Is it active? Use active voice and avoid passive voice.
Is it wordy? Be concise. No unneccesary words.
Is it compelling? Grad the readers and keep them interested.
6th Week topic: Media Science
Monday (2/17) class theme: Using Science to Answer Questions
Wednesday (2/19) guest speaker: Dr. Rob Potter, Director of Institute for Communication Research
Read before Monday class: Sparks(2013)
Assignment coming soon: A Scientific Question (Due on Monday, 2/24 at 7:00 am on Canvas)
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