Chapter 4

A summary lede condenses the most important information in a story into one interesting, opening sentence.

Good summary ledes should:
- be as specific as possible about who or what is making news;
- avoid "backing in" by using introductory clauses;
- be concise (30 words or less);
- use active voice to interest the reader.

Examples:

1. In his first interview since a photo surfaced showing him smoking from a marijuana pipe, Michael Phelps said yesterday that the intense public scrutiny has him contemplating whether he will swim in the 2012 Olympics. (Sun)

- brings up the most important point: Phelps mentioned quitting in the interview;
- Phelps looks cute in this photo.

2. WASHINGTON — Anxious over the ballooning size of the proposed economic stimulus package, now at more than $900 billion, lawmakers in both parties were working Thursday on a last-minute plan to strip tens of billions of dollars from the bill. (NYT)

- strong word choices like anxious, ballooning, last-minute and strip draw the reader in by bringing a sense of urgency to the lede.

3. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent surgery at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York on Thursday for what was apparently early-stage pancreatic cancer, according to a statement released by the Supreme Court. (NYT)

- ended with the attribution instead of backing in;
- good specifics like the exact center (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) and type of cancer (early-stage pancreatic cancer) make the lede interesting and informative.