Think of the Peanut Barrel rule when you look at this lede:
A 22-year-old man was killed in a car accident around 8:45 this morning trying to avoid hitting a dog.
Is this lede missing what makes it unique and most interesting? Is it missing what makes this different that any other run-of-the-mill car crash? Is it missing what makes this most memorable?
I'd say it was: it's missing that this guy wasn't just speeding; he was speeding to his own wedding. This lede has that element:
After striking two trees and a fence, a 22-year-old man was killed in a single-car accident this morning, a half-mile from where he was to be married 15 minutes later.
Which one better adheres to the Peanut Barrel rule? Which one has the essence of why a story is most newsworthy? I'd say, clearly the latter.
Here's another lede I feel misses a key point:
After stealing a van on New Orleans Avenue that had been rented by Parsons Funeral Home to pick up dead bodies, the thief called police to inform them that he would be leaving the van on the 3000 block of Eastland Drive.
Now, maybe this was a delayed lede. Maybe the gotcha! would be in the nut graf. But let's assume this is a basic lede. Is what makes this story memorable in the lede?
Again, I'd say, no. And again, let's think Peanut Barrel. Woudl you tell friends, "Yeah, this guy stole a van and then told cops where it was at," or, "Yeah, this guy stole a van and then told cops where it was at AFTER HE FOUND A FRICKIN' DEAD BODY IN THE VAN!"
I'd say it's the latter.
No comments:
Post a Comment