The Lede
The Lede
The lede (that’s how journalists spell it) is the first
paragraph of any news story. It’s also the most important.
The lede must accomplish three things:
 give readers the main points of the story
 get readers interested in reading the story
 accomplish both “a” and “b” in as few words as
possible
Typically editors want ledes to be no longer than 35-40
words. Why so short? Readers want their news delivered
quickly.
A short lede does just that.
What Goes in the Lede?
Journalists use the inverted pyramid format which
features the five “W’s and the H” – Who, What, Where,
When, Why and How.
 Who – who is the story about?
 What – what is the story about?
 Where – where did the event you’re writing about occur?
 When – when did it occur?
 Why – why did this happen?
 How – how did this happen?
Example 1
Let’s say you’re writing a story about a man who was injured when he fell
off a ladder. Here are your five W’s and H:
 Who – the man
 What – he fell off a ladder
while painting
 Where – at his house
 When – yesterday
 Why – the ladder was rickety
 How – the rickety ladder broke
So your lede might go
something like this:
A man was injured
yesterday when he fell off
a rickety ladder that
collapsed while he was
painting his house.
That sums up the main points of the story in just 20 words, which is all you need for
the lede.
Example 2
Let’s say you’re writing a story about a house fire in which three people
suffer smoke inhalation in a house fire. Here are your five W’s and H:
• Who – three people
• What – they suffered smoke
inhalation and were hospitalized
following a house fire
• Where – at the house
• When – yesterday
• Why – a man fell asleep smoking
in bed
• How – the cigarette ignited the
man's mattress
So your lede might go
something like this:
Three people were hospitalized
for smoke inhalation following a
house fire that officials said was
ignited by a man in the home
who fell asleep while smoking.
That lede clocks in at 27 words. - a little longer than the last one, but still short and to
the point.
Write Them Yourself
Now try on your own:
•Who – Melvin Washington, point guard for the Centerville High
School basketball team
•What – he scores a record 48 points to lead the team to the state
championship over the rival team at Roosevelt High School
•Where – in the school's gymnasium
•When – last night
•Why – Washington is a gifted athlete who observers say has an
NBA career ahead of him
•How – he is a remarkably precise shooter who excels at making
three-pointers
What To Put In a Lede
• The main point of the story - the most newsworthy,
important and interesting thing about the story.
• A basic account of WHAT happened, WHO was
involved, WHERE the event occurred, WHEN it
occurred and possibly WHY or HOW it occurred.
• If possible, some brief context to give the lede
some perspective.
• An especially interesting detail that will make
readers want to read the story.
What To Leave Out of a Lede
• Exact names of the people involved, unless it's someone
especially prominent or famous.
• The exact time something occurred, unless that's somehow
crucial to the story's main point.
• Exact street addresses.
• Ages of people in the story
• Specific dates
• Specific dollar amounts, unless it is somehow a key aspect of the
story. Generally, dollar amounts in ledes should be rounded.
• Quotes. Quotes are difficult to use in ledes because they need to
be placed in context, and it's very hard to do that in a 35-40
word lede.