Summary ledes

Summary lede - the opening of a news story whether print or online. There are 4 main characteristics of these ledes.

Main characteristics

Be specific - use the interesting parts of the story
No backing in - no clauses before the subject
Be concise - focus on one point only, no excessive verbiage
Active voice - grab the audience


Examples

After weeks of debate, Congress is giving consumers four more months to prepare for the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting. [Baltimore Sun] [http://www.baltimoresun.com/technology/bal-digitaltv0204,0,6271893.story]

This particular lede is concise. The focus is only on the extension of the DTV changeover and nothing else. It gives the audience without converters another chance to hook up their television sets.


Macy's, one of the nation's largest department stores, said Monday that it would cut 7,000 jobs, or 4 percent of its work force, making it the latest retailer to streamline operations. [New York Times, February 3 2009 edition, Business Day section]

The major information from the article is successfully combined into a bite-size piece. It serves as another depiction of how the economic downturn is still producing casualties.


When a medical helicopter crashed near Chicago in October, killing three adults and a baby, it was more than a tragedy. It was part of a trend. [New York Times, February 3 2009 edition, Business Day section]

This one has the abuse of active voice and provokes the reader to wonder about this trend. I was reminded of the Medevac crash that occurred back in September.