01/09/2018
የቀጠለ ...
The lead is the first paragraph or two or any news report. In writing news, there must be a lead. As lead is the opening paragraph of the news story, it is also called “window” of a news story. It should therefore aim not only at presenting the gist of the story but also at gaining the attention of the reader.
It does not extend to the third paragraph. The lead usually gives or provides answers to the basic questions of 5 Ws and H. A good lead must:
- Be appropriate for the story.
- Make the reader want to read the rest of the story.
- Should be kept short, brief and telegraphic.
- Be based on the key features of the story.
The 5 Ws refer to WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY and then the H – How. In most cases, not all the Ws are found in the lead. The who, what, when, where and why are common. The how is normally left for the body of the story. Here is an example of a lead.
Five students were shot dead, yesterday In a clash between two rival cult groups
At university of Lagos main campus, reports “The Campus Times”.
Analysis:
Who: Five students
What: Were short dead
When: Yesterday.
Where: University of Lagos main campus
Why: clash between cult groups.
The “HOW” is to be explained in the body of the story.
To test how adequate the lead is, the writer may ask and answer the following questions in which the acronym-News.
N- Newsworthiness - Does it say something news worthy?
E- Emphasis - Does it emphasis the most interesting fact?
W- The W's and H- Are the essential W's and H in the opening paragraphs
but not jammed into the first paragraph?
S- Source - Does it report the source of the information in the story?
በእያዩ ሞላ
26/12/2010 ዓ.ም
ላይክና ሸር በማድረግ እንማማር፡፡ አስተያየት ካለ እቀበላለሁ፡፡