Importance of a Strong Lede

The lede, perhaps displayed in this sentence, emphasizes the main points of a story in an attempt to draw the reader's attention. To do so, most writers address the "who, what, when, where, why, and how" of the event they are covering.

While the importance of the lede may not be fathomed by the everyday reader, every author knows how vital it is to get the reader, as redundant as this may sound, to keep reading.

In television, an attention grabbing lead is of the utmost importance because on often occasions, part of the story may be cut due to time constraints. Keeping that in mind, many stories feature the most important facts and statements at the beginning of the story. With newspapers, the writer has a little more wiggle room to decide how to format the article. Likewise, radio personnel can be even more creative with how they portray stories, as they are attempting to address the audio aspect of the audience.