Thursday, May 24, 2012

Practice Ledes: Be Precise

Quite a few of you said a 6-month-old was in the SUV at the time of the carjacking. A 6-month-old what?

Don't forget the "girl" part. It could have been a 6-month-old anything. Don't make a reader hunt through a story to find out what you're talking about; be clear from the first reference on.

Likewise, some of you referred to the SUV as a car. Actually, an SUV is not technically a car. A car in the generic usually refers to a sedan-type automobile, like a typical four-door car. Pickup trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles are just that, and not cars.

I didn't dock you on this exercise for that notation, but if you call everything a car, that's a habit you want to start breaking.

Also, this was one of your ledes:

Constance P. Wei, a leading opponent to Michigan's proposed ban on cell phone use while driving, was allegedly talking on her phone when she slammed into a car stopped at a red light.

What's missing from this lede that I'd argue is critical to the lede? Think what and why ...

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