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OPINION & EDITORIAL

Lack of cohesive leads cause Herald readers to quickly lose interest

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Also by Cristina Daglas:

Irrelavent stories add little to news coverage (November 10, 2005)
Avoidable errors mar otherwise well-written articles (November 17, 2005)
Herald coverage of TAA well focused (December 1, 2005)
Herald unleashed childish attack on Kumar (December 8, 2005)
Journey worth treasuring (May 5, 2005)

by Cristina Daglas

Thursday, October 20, 2005

When I can't get through the first sentence of a news story without a confused look and a second read, there is little hope that I'm proceeding to paragraph two.

This is coming from an obsessive news consumer and one who reads no fewer than three papers a day. I like a little variety. The campus dailies are always good for a read, as are the local dailies and The New York Times. Of course, I'm also partial to The Chicago Tribune.

Regardless of circulation, population or credibility, the same rule applies to each newspaper: don't lose me in the lead. Aspiring journalists have a tendency to cram all they can into the first sentence of a story. Traditional news-style writing can make one believe he or she has to do this, but it's not necessary.

This past week, I got lost on more than one occasion in the beginning of news stories printed in The Badger Herald. (We'll get to the Opinion section later.) Blatant abuse of the standard 30-word limit is running rampant.

I put all of the papers from this past week — in no particular order — on my living room floor and randomly selected one with my eyes closed. I picked Tuesday's paper and did a quick read and count of all the leads on the front page.

We've got a two-sentence lead and the majority of leads in the 40-word area. The shortest was 37 words.

Now, take the average attention span of a 20-something sitting in class. Do you really think they are going to read these stories? I sure hope so, but I'm banking on no. Leads need to draw readers in, and these, unfortunately, did not. What's the best way to do this? Keep it short, simple and to the point. The first week of an introductory reporting class almost always focuses on leads. In high school, I learned leads should be in the neighborhood of 30 words and one sentence long. If you travel to two sentences, make it worthwhile.

In college, I learned the above-mentioned characteristics again in addition to the type of content a lead should include. For instance, don't tell the reader a meeting occurred and instead tell the reader what occurred at the meeting.

A quick glance at Madison.com Wednesday displayed a number of strong leads. The top news stories had leads ranging in length from 13 to 33 words, and the best of the day came from an editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal. It simply stated, "Wisconsin's wild pigs deserve to be shot."

Want to read more? I sure did.

While we're on the topic of opinion sections, it's easiest to find the worst abusers of the rules on this page in the Herald. Opinion pieces can stretch rules to their little hearts' desires, but the same golden rule applies in my book: don't lose me in the lead.

If you are going to make your first paragraph four sentences long, make it worthwhile. For the record, I can think of few (if any) worthwhile occasions.

I hate to say it, but people these days just don't read newspapers like they used to. It's just how it goes, I suppose. I ran into two Capital Times reporters at the Terrace a few weeks ago reading The Badger Herald while eating lunch. Delighted to see my past colleagues, we engaged in conversation about my new position at the Herald.

The first thing one of the two veteran reporters said without a second of thought: "Tell them to keep these leads under 30 words." I laughed and said I'd think about it. Well, two weeks later, I can't hold it in any longer. The pros were right. Let's make the change. I want to make it to paragraph two!

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Anonymous (October 20, 2005 @ 9:23am):

Sorry, Cristina. I was going to read your story, I swear I was! But I got bored during the first sentence.

Anonymous (October 20, 2005 @ 3:17pm):

What is a news ombudsman?

A news ombudsman receives and investigates complaints from newspaper readers or listeners or viewers of radio and television stations about accuracy, fairness, balance and good taste in news coverage. He or she recommends appropriate remedies or responses to correct or clarify news reports.

Anonymous (October 21, 2005 @ 12:19am):

My only complaint is that the Herald has an ombudsman. Write a piece on that.

Anonymous (October 25, 2005 @ 5:03pm):

These are the most worthless columns probably ever written in the Badger Herald. I don't care about your problems and I don't want to hear them. I don't pick up your newspaper to read about your problems. If you have problems, correct them and run them in the correction section wherever you put that. Ms. Daglas' words are a waste of space in your newspaper.