Types of Leads in News Writing
(Various Patterns)

Summary/digest/Straight Leads
 It brings the central issue of discussions at first.
 It tells readers what they want to know in a
creative manner
 If the reader only read the lead, he or she would
have a solid grasp of the story.
 Example: Twelve persons were killed & at least
50 injured and hospitalized when a bus and car
smashed into each other.
“ bus got fire and collided with the car which
resulted into this accident.‟ This mishap took
place near gurgaon in the morning.

Question Lead
 Use when story has direct relevance or public
interest to reader.
 Many editors dislike question lead on the basis
that people read newspapers to get answers, and
not to be asked questions
 if the question is provocative, it may be used as a
lead.
 Example: What is the first thing that a woman
buys when she is advised that she won $2,50,000
in a jingle contest? Mrs. Jane Roe, informed by
XYZ Soaps that her entry took top prize in the
nationwide contest, said that she will buy a
rhyming dictionary that .

Punch, Capsule or Cartridge lead
 Short & punchy to attract the readers.
 Blunt, explosive statement to summarize article.
 Example: President Pratibha Patil's foreign visits have
cost the public exchequer Rs. 205 crore, surpassing the
record of all her predecessors. Since assuming office as
the country's first woman President in July 2007, Ms. Patil
has undertaken 12 trips covering 22 countries across four
continents. She has four more months to go in her five-
year tenure and a trip to South Africa is said to be on the
anvil. (punch lead)
 Caught in a controversy over the President's travel
expenses amounting to over Rs 200 crore, Rashtrapati
Bhawan spokesperson on Tuesday said that comparisons
of the number of foreign visits by various Presidents was
misleading. President Pratibha Patil's office also said that
the visits were necessary to deepen bilateral
cooperation.(Summary Lead)

Statement or Direct Quotation
 This lead can be extremely effective if quote is good
and important.
 Then, paragraphs is used to explain the quote.
 This is lead is generally used in speech reporting.
Example: “I will start looking for a secular state in India
from Kashmir to Kerala excluding Tamil Nadu for me
to reside and work. If am not able to find such a place
in the country then I would seek a country that does
entertain an artist like me. I could leave the country
like MF Hussain, ”. Said the actor speaking to the
press. India's one of the finest actor and film maker,
Kamal Hassan is disappointed. Lot of drama has
been happening from few days and his latest movie
'Vishwaroopam' is not yet released in Tamil Nadu.

Contrast lead
 Grabbing reader‟s attention by comparing
extremes- the big with little, comedy with tragedy,
old age with youth, past with the present and so
on.
Examples: A private is having funds in crores and
international facilities where a municipal school is
lacking in its basic need of teachers. The XYZ
public school management has agreed that they
have 28,00,000 is too high.(now, rest of the story
will tell how the situation is there)
Similarly, corruption in politics could be one reason.

Direct-Address or Direct-Appeal
Lead
 This lead directly speaks to the reader.
 It addresses the reader directly as „you‟.
 It enhances the interest of the reader as it directly talk
with them.
Examples: You might not get relief from breezy wind as
meteorological department said the weather are going
to be same for next 15 days more.
If you are one of 30 million Americans working for a
company with a private pension plan, Congress has
given you a new bill of rights. It is the Employment
Retirement Income Security Act and it promises that if
you have worked long enough to earn a pension, you
will receive one at retirement age. Nothing -- including
bankruptcy, plant closings, dismissal or resignation --
can stand in the way.

Descriptive Lead
 A descriptive lead describes how an event happened
rather than simply telling what the event is about.
 Writer try to paint the event/place/person through
words.
 This lead can help in creating mood of the story.
 Allahabad: At the Kanchi Shankaracharya's camp, a
24-hour mantra jaap (chanting of hyms) echoes
across sector 6 of the 70-sq km large kumbh city.
Adjacent to the Kanchi Peeth camp, the SGPC team
at the kumbh prepares for the afternoon langar
(community lunch). Hundreds of pilgrims, visitors and
homeless at the kumbh have already queued up for
the lunch. Across the road, the gate of new age
dharma guru Asaram Bapu's enclosure dwarfs the
rest. It's gaudy like a poor commercial.
 Similar

Parody lead
 This lead attempts to play on proverb, quotation,
song titles or phrase.
 Example: „Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar‟ Hindu
nationalist leader Narendra Modi has won a
convincing victory to secure a fourth successive
term as chief minister of India's Gujarat state.
With all the votes counted, Modi's Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) has won 115 seats in the 182-
seat assembly, the Election Commission says.

Historical or literary-Allusion Lead
 This lead draws attention on some characters or
event in history or literature that is familiar to
average readers.
 The religious books and literary works are used
as reference points by writers.
Example: Lastly, Nirbhaya died after 15 days
struggle. She fought for the life like Jhansi ki
Rani, But her life ended as the infection of body
could stopped, said Doctor team member.

Staccato Lead
 Jerky, exciting phrases used if facts justify it.
 Short, clipped words, phrases and
sentences, sometime separated with dashes and
dots.
 To create certain mood in the story, often this is
descriptive in nature.
 Example:
 “Midnight on the bridge…a scream…a shot…a
splash…a second shot…a third shot.”
 Rohit has less learning ability. Rohit has severe
problem in speech. Rohit is a autistic. But still he
manages like a normal child.(rest of the story)

Suspended Interest/Delayed
Lead
 This lead work as a stimulators of interest among
readers.
 After the lead, story runs in chronological order, so
reader has to read the whole story to get the climax.
 The reader must get the story by reading to the end of
the story.
Example:Fourteen-year-old Akbar's appeal to the judge
to let him remain with his Hindu guardian instead of
transferring him to his Muslim mother has shot Aiku
Lal Sandil to national headlines. However, for the tea
vendor from Baradari, Lucknow, taking in Akbar
wasn't something he thought twice about. Having
been raised by a Muslim man himself, Sandil couldn't
just look away when he found the six-year-old lost boy
in a Lucknow park eight years ago. (rest the story)

Circumstantial Lead
 This lead stress on the circumstances under
which the incident took place.
 Generally, used in Human Interest Story.
Example: An 60-year old retired bank employee
raised his voice when 2 unidentified persons
entered in his house for robbery in Shakarpur
area. Fortunately, a police van was standing
nearby. They reached at the spot and rescued the
women.

Oddity or Freak Lead
 Begin with uncommon or odd statement.
 Unusual approach to attract the readers.
Example: “„For sale: one elephant.‟ The City Park
Commission is thinking about inserting that ad in the
newspaper.”
Wanted: Supporters from among the opposition parties
who can vote for the NDA govt. to save it from a
possible defeat in coming election in Uttar Pradesh.

Narrative or Sequence Lead
 This lead starts at the middle of an event.
 It carries the reader through the event and give a
surprising twist at the end of the story.
Example: He paused for a second to gaze upon it.
Then slowly he reached down and laid his hand
upon it feeling the skin. He turned aside and
carefully selected the knife. Sweating now, he
lifted it up and then, suddenly brought it down.
Red, Red it was red everywhere.
„Cut‟ shouted the director. Thus ended the first shot
of Sanjeev Kumar. Three retakes later and it was
done. And what followed is history.

Bullet Lead
 In this lead, short sentence or phrase is used in a
straight forward manner.
 This is used in a important news. Since this lead
hits the readers like a bullet.
Example:
Mahatma is no more.
Indira Gandhi is shot dead.

Funny or Gag Lead
 This lead is written in funny way.
 This is written on rare basis depending upon the
story.
 Generally, used in a feature.

Blind identification Lead
 If the person concerned is not well known in the
community, his/her name is less important than
other salient facts that identify the person.
 Example: 1)"a 80-year-old woman" instead of her
name.
 2)A police inspector's son was attacked with a
knife by some miscreants on Mount Road this
evening. The victim Pratap Daniel, 20, has been
admitted to a private hospital and his condition is
critical.