TODAY

1. TODAY • Share National Enquirer Stories • Writing Leads • Review Thursday • Different Types of Leads • Leads Checklist • PD’s Leads on Front Page • Assessment: Writing Various Types of Leads • Discuss your Leads • 66 News Writing Tips • HOMEWORK: • NONE Season Six of The Office comes out on DVD today. I’ll be getting that fo’ sho’.

2. THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEADS • Summary leads: This kind of lead is mostly used in news stories because they need to be concise, to the point, and put the most information into the least amount of words. • President Bush was aiming to rally U.S. forces encountering tougher resistance in Iraq and warn Americans of a potentially long conflict when he was to visit the headquarters of Central Command on Wednesday. • Narrative leads: These leads take you into the mind of the main person in an article. It's the most classic and in some instances most effective way to start out a feature. Pick a person and start your article out with their story and tie it into the main point. • Joe Darnaby had his heart set on going to college out west next year. But since his father lost his job last month, his parents have laid down a new rule: no schools outside of Ohio. • You leads: You leads directly address your audience and involve them in a story. • You know prom is right around the corner, but cash is tight and you are worried that you will not be able to show your date a good time. Do not worry because Joe Johnson at American Tuxedoes wants to help you.

3. THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEADS • Blind leads: This is a lead where you start off the article by summarizing but leaving out one essential detail, this is done to catch the interest of the reader. Also, if the person you are reporting on is not known to the public, your readers probably do not care to know their name right off the bat, so share that information later. • A local delicatessen owner used nothing but a piece of beef jerky to fight off two armed robbers who were trying to rob his store early Sunday morning. • Quote leads: This is a lead where you start off the article with a quote that expresses the idea you want to get across well. In some newsrooms quote leads are banned because finding the perfect quote for an article is a very challenging task that most newspapers don't have the time for. USE RARELY! • Many papers started their reports on the moon landing with Neil Armstrong’s quote, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

4. LEADS CHECKLIST • Is it the most newsworthy key point in the story? • DON’T BURY THE LEAD! • Is it short and simple? (less than 35 words – remember the lazy rowers in the canoe) • Is it written in the active voice? • "Steve loves Amy." NOT “Amy is loved by Steve.” • Have you put the facts in the first sentence? (Do not start with the when or the where!) • Is it up to date? Are your verbs in the correct tense? • Have you avoided quotes/questions in the lead?

5. WRITING DIFFERENT LEADS • You will need to create an example of each of the five types of leads using the information provided for you. • REMEMBER, no one writes their best lead on their first attempt. You should have at least TWO attempts for each type of lead. • When you have completed all five types, swap your leads with a neighbor and double-check your partner’s leads with the checklist.

6. STORY #1: Chicken Wing Eating Champ • WHO?: Competitive eater Sonya Thomas; nicknamed “The Black Widow”; 5 ft., 105 lbs. • WHAT?: Ate 181 wings in 12 minutes to defeat Joey Chestnut and break the national championship record • WHEN?: Sunday • WHERE?: the ninth annual National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York. • WHY?: competitive eating fame

7. STORY #2: World’s Shortest Man • WHO?: Edward Nino Hernandez • WHAT?: Officially certified as the world's shortest living man by Guinness World Records, measuring 27 inches (70 centimeters). • WHEN?: last week • WHERE?: Colombia • WHY?: recently discovered that he was in fact shorter than previous record holder who recently died • Note: Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal is expected to take over after he turns 18 on Oct. 14. He measures about 22 inches (56 centimeters) and is currently recognized by Guinness as the shortest living teen.

8. STORY #3: Kanye’s Tweets • WHO?: Kanye West • WHAT?: apologizes on Twitter for upstaging Taylor Swift at MTV’s 2009 Video Music Awards • WHEN?: over the weekend • WHERE?: the interweb • WHY?: criticism, the 2010 VMAs coming up • NOTE: • "With new found humility ... who am I to run on stage? I would never ever again in a million years do that. Sorry to let you down." • “Sorry Taylor.” • “When I woke up from the crazy nightmare I looked in the mirror and said GROW UP KANYE.”

9. STORY #4: Thugs Kill Pizza Man • WHO?: 58-year-old Richel Nova; 3 criminals (one 20 year old, two teens) • WHAT?: criminals broke into abandoned house, ordered pizza, then robbed, stabbed, and stole victims car • WHEN?: last Thursday night • WHERE?: Boston, Mass. • WHY?: innocent victim in violent crime of greed • NOTE: • Nova, a Dominican immigrant who moved to Massachusetts more than 20 years ago, worked three jobs to provide a better life for his son and twin 20-year-old daughters.

10. STORY #5: Infant Sleep affects Weight • WHO?: Researchers; Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. • WHAT?: study suggests that babies and children under the age of 5 getting less than 10 hours of sleep at night are more likely to be overweight or obese five years later • WHEN?: published Monday; results from 1997-2002 • WHERE?: nationwide survey • WHY?: may help address growing obesity problem