Leads

DEVELOPMENT JOURNALISM: WRITING THE LEAD
 TYPES:
 Cartridge - very short
- may not contain all the Ws
Sample: 1) President Estrada, who ruled
the Philippines for two years,
is now behind bars.
2)Coop leader, Ibra Alonto,
died.

or your “fire story”
2. Punch Lead - similar to cartridge, but it
surprises/intrigues
Sample 1. All delinquent members
will be required to
attend retreats.
2. Kris Aquino is finally
getting married.

3. Picture Lead – attempts a pictorial account of event
Sample 1: Clutching her only daughter, Mrs. Isabel Resureccion could not control her tears when she heard that her husband, Ramon, was sentenced yesterday by the local court to pay FICCO two million pesos.
Sample 2: Teresita Briones, a market vendor, beats daily the five o’clock closing time of FICCO, and with a happy face hands in her payment and deposit to the teller.

4. Contrast lead –as the word suggests, emphasizes contrast
Sample 1: Five years ago, she was a very popular politician who easily clinched the vice-presidency. Today, PGMA’s popularity sank to an all time low.
Sample 2: It started as a small ateneo cooperative in the 60s. Today, FICCO is the biggest cooperative in the region.

5. Question lead – raises a query to entice readers to read on
Sample 1 – If PGMA resigns, then
what?
2 – What happens if coops
are taxed?


6. Freak Lead – throws caution to the air by trying to be different
Sample 1 – For Sale: a baby
Mrs. Grace Camba, a slum dweller in Burgos,
said yesterday that since she could no longer
feed her baby, she might as well sell
it. There were no immediate takers.
Sample 2 - Instead of jogging to the nearest FICCO
branch, Joy Ariles, a new member, decided to
buy a pair of shoes with a siren so she gets
her way out of the traffic. She has bee
successful in beating the office hours of
FICCO to pay her daily dues.

7. Sequence Lead – series of paragraphs, usually arranged chronologically but with single effect
Sample 1 – By five in the morning, she had already dressed her daughter, Rosanna 2, for the Sunday mass.

At seven, the two of them were seen attending mass in the chapel.

At nine, when they returned to their shanty under the Pelaez bridge, Lorenza Manuel, 35, despondent after having been abandoned by her husband, strangled her daughter. She herself committed suicide.

8. Suspended Interest Lead – writer “strings along” reader to the end before giving news on which story is based
Sample – Alleged swindler, Mariano (not his real name), refused to be interviewed yesterday, but I still got the story.

9. Staccato Lead – emphasizes time element
- consists of series of phrases, punctuated
by commas or dashes
Sample – Twenty years ago – back in the eighties he was begging in the streets for food. After ten years in the care of strangers who he now considers his parents, fighting against poverty through his membership with FICCO, Jason Balendes is now a made man; he is a staunch defender of children’s rights and an advocate of equality and cooperativism.


10. Figurative Lead - triteness is the danger; common sense should dictate when to use it
Sample- The fox is finally home at 66. (Death of basketball player Larry Mumar)

_________ wrote 30.

11. Epigram Lead – tone or moral of story is stressed
Sample 1- Crime does not pay. But Larry Romulo learned this only after he had been collared by the police for being a fake immigration agent.
Sample 2 – Honesty is the best policy. Reyna feasted on accolades after she returned the bag full of cash found at the airport.

12. Quotation Lead – used to emphasize gist of story
Sample – “What are we in power for?” This question must be on the minds of some FICCO employees when they tried to shoo away smelly customers.

13. Summary Lead – summary of whole story
A new policy that allows the member-borrower to apply for a loan five times his or her deposit, was approved yesterday by the General Assembly.