Types of Intro or Lead

Writing Leads
VIJAYTA PANDEY
What is a lead?
A lead is the
beginning
of your story.
Introduction
• In order to write the news that has
been painstakingly/ carefully work of
the report gathered by the reporter
it is important that the reporter
should also learn the craft of writing
the news.
Contd…
• No reader has the time to wait till
the end of the story to get the point.
• News writing is different from any
other form of writing because it is
specific nature of being precise and
accurate
• No extra word, not an imagination, no
extra information
Structure of the news
• Rudyard Kipling described the crux
of news writing in a rhyme:
“I keep six honest serving men
they taught me all I knew,
their name are,
what and why and when
and How and where and Who”
LEADS
• The most notable characteristics of a
news writing formula is lead.
• It is a summary, climax, a gist or a sum
total of the complete news report.
• The main function of the lead is to attract
reader’s attention and lure them into
reading the news report.
• A good lead is the briefest possible
summary of a story in not more than 25-35
words.
FEATURE OF THE LEAD
• All news values must be apparent in
the lead
• It should be understood to the
reader
• Ask yourself what would be the 1st
question of the reader after reading
the headline
• What is most important in the lead
and for whom
A good lead catches the
reader’s attention,
making them want to
read on. It also makes
the writer want to write
more.
Different Types of
Leads
• Summary or Digest lead
• Question lead
• Punch, capsule or Cartridge Lead
• Descriptive Lead
• Parody Lead
• Historical or Literary Allusion Lead
• Staccato Lead
• Suspended Interest Lead
• Circumstantial Lead
• Oddity or Freak lead
• Dialogue Lead
• Narrative Lead
• Bullet Lead
• Contrasting lead
• Blind Lead
• Buried Lead
Writing a Newstory
• The story is divided into three parts
- A headline
- Dateline and Creditline/ first
paragraph
- News report/ detailed or remainder
of the story
Types of LEADS
• SUMMARY OR DIGEST LEAD:
A lead that contains 5W+1 H
Summary lead should be concise but sometimes it can be long

as it may include many other features too.
The lead summarizes clearly and plainly all principal facts.

• Three passengers were killed and
twenty nine injured, four critical
when the Bombay Bandh Avadh
Express dashed against a derailed
goods train between Sajjan and
Bhilad about 115 kms from here, at
2100hrs
QUESTION LEAD:
• A lead which starts with the question. But
it is utmost important to know that you
can only start the lead with the question if
you know the answers.
Ex: Should Chandrayan-2 reach moon? This
question has been on the minds of all the
educated Indians since Chandrayan-2
launched.
PUNCH LEAD
• This type of lead used short, punchy
statements to attract the readers
attentions.
• Example: More than ever, today's
college fresher's want money and
status when they get out of college.
• Big boys don’t cry and suffer a
higher rate of ulcers and heart-
attacks in the present times.
Statement or Direct
Quotation lead
• Quote is a good one to start and if it
is not too long.
• Example: “India will compromise with
its security and will never yield to
external pressure under any
circumstances” says PM Modi in his
press conference.
CONTRAST LEAD
• A contrast lead reaches the reader’s
attentions by comparing extremes-
the big with little, comedy with the
tragedy, aged with youth, the past
with the present.
• Example: Bhopal, six years ago, as Rani drew her
first breath, hundreds of others took their last.
She was born as clouds of poison gas spewed from
the union carbide plant and billowed deep in the
city of one million people
Direct Address/ Direct
appeal Lead
• This lead speaks directly to the
reader often about a subject of
broad interest or appeal.
• Example: You have less than 24 hours
left to file the income tax-return.
Hurry up or you loose all the money
once caught.
IMPERATIVE LEAD
• The story shifts from giving the

information to the reader by giving
the instruction or in an commanding
language.
Ex: “don’t think of retiring…..”

Parody Lead
• This lead attempts to play on words,
using widely known proverbs,
quotations, song titles, currently
popular sayings, book titles and other
expressions
• Example: Tum itna ku muskura rahe
ho, says chief minister of Punjab to
Capt. Amrinder after the election got
over in the state of Punjab.
Historical or Literary-
Allusion Lead
• This type of lead draws on some
character or events in history or
literature that is familiar to an
average reader to attract and hold
attention.
• Example: Laxman, following on the
footsteps of his elder brother Ram
to pose a grave challenge to the
enemies.
Staccato Lead
• A staccato lead consist of short, clipped
words, phrases and sentences separated
dashes or dots or simply made into the
list, to help create a certain mood in a
story
• Example: Ratat ta ta ta…the sound of
machine guns, the stench of cordite. Death
screams and artillery weapon whistles.
These are the sounds the people of
Kashmir……
Circumstantial Lead
• Such a lead stresses the
circumstance in which the incident
happened.
• Example: The alarm raised by a
domestic help in hindnagar last night
alerted a nearby police patrol and the
policeman rushed to the scene.
Seeing them approaching the
miscreants took to their heels and
thus a robbery was averted.
Oddity or Freak Lead
• It is an unusual lead to capture the
attention of readers
• Example: Wanted: Supporters from
among the opposition parties who can
vote for the NDA government to
save it from a possible defeat in the
wake of no-confidence motion in the
lok sabha.
Dialogue Lead
• Lead is written in dialogue form but in
such leads, the newstory will have to be
unnecessary lengthened to explain the
situation
• Example: “Congress will come back in
next term of election”, says Rahul
gandhi in a press coference. “ Its
better to put your dreams in a bucket
and worry about the centre stay,”
replies Mayawati in rheortic speech
Bullet
• Example:
• The mahatma is no more.
• Indira gandhi dead.
Blind Lead
• When your lead is not given more
importance and the information is
detailed in the body or tail.
A good lead catches the
reader’s attention,
making them want to
read on. It also makes
the writer want to write
more.
THANK YOU….

Types of Intro or Lead

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Types of Intro or Lead

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Writing Leads

Summary lead should be concise but sometimes it can be long

The lead summarizes clearly and plainly all principal facts.

• The story shifts from giving the

Ex: “don’t think of retiring…..”

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