How to Write the Lead

The lead, also called slant or angle, is the beginning of a newspaper’s story. It contains the most important information, which attracts and sustains reader’s attention and interest to continue reading the news story. 

The lead, as Prof. Alito L Malinao pointed out, is like a miniskirt – short enough to be interesting and long enough to cover the essentials – who, what, where, when, why, and how – that provides quick identification of person, event, place, time, cause, and manner. 

Classifications of leads

Leads are generally divided into two broad classifications: according to purpose and according to construction. According to purpose, leads are divided into two sub-classifications: conventional leads and unconventional leads. According to construction, leads are divided into three sub-classifications: who-what-where-when-why-how leads, grammatical beginning leads, and novelty leads.

Who-what-where-when-why-how leads

1.       Who Lead or Person Lead.

Pattern: Who-What-Where-When-Why-How

Dr. Elenita S Binay, City of Makati mayor, and Dr. Alfred E Tong, Eduquest Inc. president, lauded 11 Makati Science High School Science and Technology, English, and Mathematics teachers for their contribution in the application of innovative teaching strategies using computer technology during the Isang Parangal sa mga Makabagong Guro at the Makati Science Audio Visual Room, Jan. 14.

2.      What Lead or Event Lead

Pattern: What-Who-Where-When-Why-How

A gift-giving program was initiated by the Makati Science High School Marian Youth Movement under the stewardships of Mrs. Angelita A Condat, Mrs. Regina G Gauna, Mrs. Ana L Ligon, and Mrs. Julita F Mendoza at the Bahay ni Maria Orphanage, Bel-Air Village, City of Makati, Dec. 19.

3.      When Lead or Time Lead

Pattern: When-Who-What-Where-Why-How

Last Nov. 7, Basilio G dela Cuadra, Makati Science High School senior student trained by Miss Gina B Balgos, Miss Ma. Victoria C Serra, and Mrs. Raquel A Limosinero, bagged first place during the First City of Makati Statistics Quiz Bee sponsored by the Statistics and Civil Registration Offices at the City Hall of Makati.

4. Where Lead or Place Lead

Pattern: Where-Who-What-When-Why-How

At the City Hall of Makati, Dr. Elenita S Binay recognized Mrs. Ruth M Ocampo, Makati Science High School Music teacher, as one of the Five Outstanding Mothers of Makati, Dec. 10.

5. Why Lead or Cause Lead

Pattern: Why-Who-What-Where-When-How

After topping the Boy Scouts of the Philippines–City of Makati Student Traffic Assistance Program, Mr. Carlos D L Ferrer, City of Makati scout executive, honored Mr. Lorenzo R Alberto, Makati Science High School scoutmaster, as the Best City of Makati Scout Master, Mar. 1.

6. How Lead or Manner Lead

Pattern: How-Who-What-Where-When-Why

Garnering 16 awards, 11 gold and 5 silver medals, IV-Albert Einstein, under the direction of Jacques S Lynn, bagged first place in the Ang Pilibusterismo: Pampaaralang Dulang Pagtatanghal at the Makati Science High School Audio Visual Room, Mar. 1

Grammatical-Beginning Leads

1.       Subject Noun Lead. It begins with a noun and its modifier.

The Philippine National Police will deploy 7 000 policemen in Metro Manila for the Sept. 21 pro-democracy rally.

2.      Gerund Phrase Lead. It begins with a verbal noun that always ends in –ing.

Clipping the power of the Supreme Court of the Philippines to decide on economic issues is one of the constitutional amendments being sought by President Joseph Ejercito Estrada.

3.      Infinitive Phrase Lead. It begins with the preposition to, the sign of the infinitive, followed by the present form of the verb, the stem of infinitive.

To protect the public  and  to  police  its own ranks, the 37 strong member of the Philippine Veterinary Drug Association (PVDA) is completing its comprehensive code of ethics, according to Dr. Julius O Perez, PVDA president.

4.      Participial Phrase Lead. It begins with the present participle (following), past participle (followed), perfect participle (having followed), or passive perfect participle (having been followed) form of the verb.

Stricken by the widespread economic malaise in Asia, the nine-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations will restructure trade and investment agreements, including the acceleration of the tariff reduction timetable and the relaxation of investment rules, to cushion their economies from the impact of the worsening crisis.

5.      Prepositional Phrase Lead. It begins with a preposition like aboard, about, above, according to, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, during, except, for, from, in, in addition to, in spite of, into, like, near of, off, on, onto, out, over, through, to, toward, under, underneath, until, up, with, or within.

Over a delicious seafood meal of three courses, with a succulent lechon baboy sent by Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, President Joseph Ejercito Estrada yesterday carefully explained why he wanted Congress to convert itself into a constituent assembly to make certain amendments to the Constitution.

6.      Causal Clause Lead. It begins with because, due, or since.

Because of higher financial charges, Benpres Holdings Corporation reported a 17.9 percent decline in comparable consolidated profits in the first nine months of the year to PhP1.44 billion from  PhP1.75 billion posted in the same period in 1997.

7.      Concessive Clause Lead. It begins with although, though, or despite.

Despite the clamor of the residents, the Rizal provincial government has agreed to allow the Metro Manila Development Authority to continue dumping garbage in the landfill until year 2000.

8.      Conditional Clause Lead. It begins with if, provided, or unless.

Unless the government, the private sector, and the public adopt the necessary changes to meet the challenges facing the country’s textbook program, there will be a severe shortage of textbooks in public schools nationwide.

9.      Noun Clause Lead. It begins with that, what, when, where, which, who, whom, or whose.

What President Estrada does, son Jinggoy emulates. As the tired cliché goes, like father like son.

10. Temporal Clause Lead.  It begins with as soon as, before, when, while, or since.

While pigs suffer FMD or foot-and-mouth disease, hog   farmers   and meat suppliers in the provinces are also suffering from FMD or financial and mental distress.

Novelty or Unorthodox Leads

1.       Atmosphere Lead. It consists of words or phrases that help portray the mood or setting of the story.

A few kilometers away from busy Ortigas Avenue in the bustling Mandaluyong City-Pasig City junctions is a new quiet community, a cool haven of suburban middle-class living. It is nestled in the woodsy, foliaged portion of Brookside Hills.

2.      Astonisher or Exclamatory Lead. It calls for an exclamation that is primarily used for expressing the extent to whom somebody or to which something impresses the writer.

Nothing can stop this rally!

President Joseph Ejercito Estrada asked organizers of the pro-democracy rally scheduled tomorrow in the City of Makati to call off the protest because of its negative effects on the economy.

3.      Background Lead. It consists of words or phrases describing the place that over shadows the person and the event.

The Philippines is not the only country preoccupied with centennial celebrations.

An international conference has gathered a distinguished line-up of academicians and scholars at the University of Iowa to discuss the centennial of the 1898 Spanish-American war. This event led Spain to give up its territories to the USA including the Philippines.

4.      Cartridge or Punch Lead. It tells the gist of the news with the use of abrupt, definite, and short words possible.

No new car. No new guns either.

Not one piece of firearm will be added to the arsenal of the Philippine National Police (PNP) next year, leaving 22 percent or over one-fifth of the PNP’s total uniformed force solely relying on nightsticks as their battle against crime.

5.      Contrast Lead. It describes two separate events to point out extremes and opposites.

Welcome sunlight greeted most part of Northern and Central Luzon yesterday, but a weekend darkened by a  tropical  depression has left a trail of death and destruction.

6.      Descriptive or Picture Lead. It describes a person, a place, or an event through vivid words and expressions.

Clutching her baby girl, Mrs. Lourdes Arquiza could not control her tears when she heard that her husband, Capt. Oscar Arquiza, was sentenced yesterday to die by lethal injection.

7.      Direct Quotation Lead. It addresses the readers.

Don’t bother to unpack those sweaters this Misa de Gallo season: you won’t be needing them.

8.      Epigram Lead. It begins with an adage, a maxim, or a quotation and stresses the moral of the story.

Crime does not pay. But Romy Corrales learned this only after he had been collared by the police for being a fake immigration agent.

9.      Figurative Lead. Triteness is the main danger of this kind of lead. Common sense should dictate when to use it.

The fox is finally home at 66. (This was about the death of basketball star Lauro Mumar.)

10.   Freak Lead.  It tries to be different by using typographical effects.

For sale: a baby

Mrs. Carol Conag, a Tondo resident, said yesterday that since she could no longer feed her baby, she might as well sell it. There were no immediate takers.

11.    Knitting the Facts Together Lead. A coherent lead may be achieved by deciding on the feature, arranging the other W’s in the descending order of importance, eliminating unnecessary details and using the right links. It is characterize by as, when, and where links.

At least four persons reportedly died when a flash flood and landslides hit the remote town of Don Marcelino in Davao del Sur Monday following days of continual rains.

12.   Parody or Teaser Lead. It begins with a well-known allusion, jingle, poem, song, quotation, or verse.

I’m sorry, my judge.

13.   Question Lead. It raises a query to arouse reader’s interest.

Do we want our very important government officials to ride in the common and lowly FX Tamaraw, the mega taxi of the masses?

President Joseph Ejercito Estrada yesterday said members of his Cabinet deserve some dignity so they were issued luxury vehicles that had been confiscated from smugglers, although carping congressmen would rather have them using the cheaper, Philippine-made vehicle.

14.   Quotation Lead. It begins with quoted words or expression from an interview or speech.

“All these people who are using my name. I had them investigated – all of them.”

That was the reason, President Joseph Ejercito Estrada said yesterday, that he ordered the Bureau of Customs to investigate his supposed close associate Lucio Lao Co and 13 other suspected smugglers.

15.   Sequence or Suspended Interest Lead. A series of paragraphs usually arranged chronologically but with a single effect.

By five in the morning, she had already dressed her two daughters, Cynthia 4, and Miriam 2, for a Sunday mass.

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

At nine, when they returned to their shanty at Dagat-Dagatan, Maria Dorado, 46, despondent after having been abandoned by her husband, strangled her two daughters. She herself committed suicide.

16.   Staccato Lead.   It   emphasizes   the    time element, and usually consists of a series of phrases, punctuated by commas or dashes. It also consists of a succession of several short phrases.

Twenty years ago – back in the seventies – he was marching in the streets shouting anti-American slogans. After seven years of incarceration and four years in the hills fighting for his cause, Julius Neptuna is now a changed man; today he is staunch defender of democracy and a strong opponent of communism.

Patient labor force. Calm management sector. Quick thinking mediators. All of these brought down the number of strike notices in the country by 14 percent this year, belying claims that increased labor tensions are bound to occur as a result of the economic crisis.

17.   Summary Lead. It gives the gist of the whole story.

Sen. Franklin Drillon said yesterday Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno would have “a hard time” getting past the Commission on Appointments because of a memorandum he had issued that could impair local autonomy.