More Ledes: Ledes I Liked

Nice work on the latest ledes exercise. You are all picking this up very well. A bunch of good ones, and here's a sampling of a few of 'em. This one is straight to the point:

A 16-year-old student under house arrest for armed robbery was allowed to play in Colonial High School's football game last Saturday.


This next one takes it a step further, by hinting on reaction that can be detailed later in a story:

A high school football player is still playing after his armed robbery arrest, despite a local detective's outrage.

This one doesn't simply include what is happening, but why as well:

To cut back on the city's expenses, the cost of mug shots and fingerprints will now be charged to those who are arrested, city officials announced today.

This lede nicely wrapped up many details, and is a solid mini-story in and of itself:

Half-a-mile from the church where he was to be married, Scott Forsythe, 22, died in a car accident this morning after swerving his speeding Mustang to avoid hitting a dog.

The only qualm I would have with it is the use of a brand name, in this case the Ford Mustang car. In journalism, often we will avoid using brand names in favor of generic names to avoid giving out free publicity. Under that rule, instead of saying "Mustang" we would say "car."

An exception to that rule is if the brand name indicates something that helps build context into the story. In this case, I think you could make the argument that since the Mustang is well-known as a brand of muscle car, it has relevance in a story where somebody died while speeding.


Now, for comparison's sake here are some ledes from the same exercise from my fall 2011 class:

Fifteen minutes before he was supposed to walk down the aisle today, Scott Forsythe died in a car accident on Kirkmann Road, a half-mile from the church.

In that one, you let the facts speak for themselves. In the next lede, you set context through the stark contrast between the joy of a wedding and the horror of a death:

Sara Howard though today would the the happiest of her life, when it turned into the worst when her fiance died in a car crash while swerving to avoid a dog.

This next one sets context through a quip and word play:

Being a suspect in a crime will cost you, literally. East Lansing city officials announced today that suspects will now pay a $25 fee for the process of being arrested.

This next lede doesn't just offer the what, but the why as well.

In an effort to trim expenses, East Lansing officials announced that mug shots and fingerprints now cost those being arrested a fee of $25.

On this next one, it's a straight-to-the-point summary:

A 16-year-old student who was previously arrested for robbing a woman at gunpoint is still allowed to play on his school's football team, even while on house arrest.

This next one uses writing style to create a mini-narrative, in the style of fiction-writing but entirely based on facts:

Several months ago, East Lansing police Detective Larry Chavez arrested a 16-year-old boy for armed robbery. Today, the same boy still plays for his high school football team.

This last one is a delayed lede that has fun with the contrast between a couple of typical -- but very different -- items that say a lot:

Football players usually wear wristbands as an accessory, but what about an electronic bracelet?

Among all these ledes -- yours and those of the last class -- which ones do you like best, and why?