We have covered basic news leads. To earn participation points for Monday, Sept. 21, do two things:
- Read the leads below and vote for the one you think is the best. It should meet the criteria listed on page 160 in our text, Reporting for the Media. Four of the leads were written by students in the two Newswriting classes I teach. One was written by a professional journalist for the Instructor’s Manual that accompanies our text.
- In the comments section at the end of this post, explain why the lead you chose is the best of the five, citing the criteria listed on page 160.
Vote for one of these leads:
- Couples who live together before marriage have a greater risk for divorce, according to a study of American marriages by researchers from the Centers for Disease Control.
- Couples are at a greater risk for divorce when they live together before they marry, researchers announced Wednesday.
- Women who are wealthy, religious, college-educated and at least 20 years old when they marry are less likely to divorce, according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control.
- Wealthy, religious, college-educated women stand the best chance of making their marriages last, according to a study of 50,000 women that found 43 percent of married couples break up within 15 years.
- Women who are wealthy, religious, college-educated and at least 20 years old are most likely to have a successful marriage, researchers have concluded.
24 responses so far ↓
Zac Kasparek // September 28, 2009 at 10:47 am |
I chose #5 because I thought they did a good job of summing up the information from the article we read.
Adrienne // September 21, 2009 at 2:38 pm |
I chose the third lead because it gets straight to the points and doesn’t state multiple facts which seemed a bit boring to me.
Gina Piscitello // September 21, 2009 at 2:38 pm |
I chose #4 because it gets to the point and lets you know the one of the main points of the article and grasps my attention enough to want to read the rest of the article.
Kate Ferrara // September 21, 2009 at 2:37 pm |
I voted for lead 5 because I felt it was direct and to the point, and provided the information I thought was most interesting.
Ron Davidoff // September 21, 2009 at 2:36 pm |
The story was statistic heavy so numbers were needed in the lead which made it more specific than the others.
Frances Bihn // September 21, 2009 at 2:35 pm |
I liked the subject matter of #1 better than the statistics.
Jamie // September 21, 2009 at 2:33 pm |
I voted for #5 because it gave the right amount of information and it had a more positive feel then the other leads.
Leigh Ann Andreani // September 21, 2009 at 2:33 pm |
I chose lead 3 because it gave a good description and said who performed the study without being too wordy.
A. Didato // September 21, 2009 at 2:31 pm |
I voted for lead 3 because I feel it is direct and to the point while providing the source of where the research/information came from.
Shaina Pearlman // September 21, 2009 at 2:30 pm |
I voted for the first lead because it contains just enough information without getting too specific or wordy.
Leigh Ann // September 21, 2009 at 2:30 pm |
I chose lead 3 because it gave a good description and said who performed the research without being too wordy.
Melissa // September 21, 2009 at 2:29 pm |
I like the third lead because it gives a variety of details and gives the most important information first.
FRED ERBE // September 21, 2009 at 2:29 pm |
I really enjoyed the fifth lead, it seems like it pretty much covers all the bases, in my humble opinion of course.
Amanda // September 21, 2009 at 2:10 pm |
I chose the third lead because it gets to the point of the article without adding any numbers upfront to confuse the audience and also credits the researcher.
Sarah // September 21, 2009 at 11:13 am |
#5
uses the correct number of words and uses the most important information in the lead.
Megan Smutak // September 21, 2009 at 11:12 am |
It included all the neccesary information for a good lead without being too wordy
David Sickels // September 21, 2009 at 11:11 am |
I chose the first lead because it states the most interesting developments without being confusing. A lot of the other leads I had to read at least twice.
ursula banks // September 21, 2009 at 11:11 am |
This lead is direct and to-the-point. It has all the requirements of a good lead (who, what, how, etc.) and it is not lengthy
Vince Pozar // September 21, 2009 at 11:09 am |
The fifth lead is concise, specific and contains interesting information.
Christopher Graham // September 21, 2009 at 11:09 am |
The first lead is short, and provides enough information. The other leads are to wordy; the second lead is simply weak.
Sarah Friend // September 21, 2009 at 11:09 am |
I voted for lead 3 because it gave enough information to state the purpose of the article, but omitting enough to make me want to read the rest of the srticle.
R. Stone // September 21, 2009 at 11:09 am |
The lead I voted for was lead number three because, in my opinion, it best states–the most clearly– the summary of the article.
Rachael // September 21, 2009 at 11:09 am |
I voted for the first lead because it is concise and simple and catches attention. The fifth lead is also very good but it is a bit long.
Beth Carter // September 21, 2009 at 11:09 am |
I voted for the 3rd lead because it contained who reseachered the study without being too wordy.