Summary Leads

What is a summary lede/lead?
~The opening sentence or two of most news stories designed to summarize the story quickly. A summary lead writting online is written in the past tense and includes a time element.

Examples:

"Responding to global outrage, especially in Pope Benedict XVI’s native Germany, the Vatican for the first time on Wednesday called on a recently rehabilitated bishop to take back his statements denying the Holocaust." (The New York Times)

This lead does an excellent job of providing the reader with specific details of the story (such as the mentioning of outrage over the Pope's actions in his country of origin) in active voice. The lead also succeeds in summarizing the story while leaving room for further explanation, which draws the reader into continuing the story instead of just scanning the headline and pictures. The lead's introductory clause, however, leaves it faulted from the standpoint that it backs into the main point.


"Maryland ranked No. 1 in the nation in the percentage of high school seniors in 2008 who earned a passing score on the rigorous, college-level Advanced Placement exams, according to a report released today by the College Board." (The Baltimore Sun)

Unlike the previous example, this lead gives the most important detail of the story first and foremost (Maryland's ranking on high school seniors who earned passing scores on their AP exams), followed by necessary detail (such as the citing of it's source) in active voice.

"The Kyrgyz Parliament will vote Friday on a measure that will close a key United States military base, potentially jeopardizing NATO supply lines to Afghanistan, the Kyrgyz government said Wednesday. " (The New York Times)

This lead is slightly longer than the first two examples, but provides the reader with specific imformation about the entire story that remains concise and in active voice.