Alt Ledes: Good Lede/Nut Graf Combos

In this exercise, you were asked to do just a lede, with no subsequent paragraph. But some of you did ledes that in essence acted as a combination alternate lede/subsequent nut graf, combined into a single graf.

What I did was split some of these ledes as follows, so you can see a concept we talked about earlier: that when you do a unique and contextual alternate lede, it is usually followed by a nut graf that sounds more like a traditional lede, fills in the specific blanks left by your general contextual lede, and offers a strong transition to the body of the story.

Let's look at a few examples:

Taxpayers in East Lansing will probably be happy to hear the term "cost of crime" is about to take on a new meaning.

East Lansing police chief Barry Kopperrud announced that the police department would begin charging arrestees a $25 fee for the process of taking their mug shots and fingerprints.

Now, the lede sets context, with the "cost of crime" meaning change. And the nut graf fills in the details of the lede, by detailing what the change is: that arrestees will be charged a $25 processing fee.

Same with this lede/nut graf combo: 

East Lansing needs money, and you can help. Want to know how? Get arrested.

The city is imposing a $25 fee, effective immediately, to every person who gets arrested and has his or her fingerprints and mug shot taken.

When we do alternate ledes, the nut graf will read very much like a basic lede.

Here's another decent one:

For Megan Perakiss, the 6-month-old daughter of Michael and Ethel Perakiss, Wednesday afternoon was a dangerous adventure.

She was in the back seat of a sport-utility vehicle which was carjacked by a man who had just robbed a nearby convenience store after 2 p.m. on Michigan Avenue. Fortunately, about 40 minutes after a search had begun, police found Megan Perakiss safe in the vehicle, which was abandoned in the parking lot of a Chinese restaurant.

And one more:

For 6-month-old Megan Perakiss, it was an ordeal she might never remember, but it's one her parents won't ever forget.

Police were "shocked but pleased" that n harm came to Perakiss after the car she was sitting in was stolen by an armed robber outside a local convenience store, although the robber is still on the loose.