Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Basic Ledes: Go With The Latest News

Like I've said in this class, the root of "news" is "new" We need to look for and highlight the newest information. That's the job.

Did this lede do that?

County treasurer Vernon Sindelair resigned after being charged with the embezzlement of more than $1.7 million. He is facing 30 years in prison and over $1.5 million in fines.

Here's the problem: Sindelair resigned two weeks after he was charged three months ago! The latest happening was that he pleaded guilty. The lede needed to emphasize that and remove the reference to the old news (which could be used later in the story as background), like this:

County treasurer Vernon Sindelair pleaded guilty to the embezzlement of more than $1.7 million. He is facing 30 years in prison and over $1.5 million in fines.

No comments: