What makes a good lead?

A lead in a story is defined as a simple, clear statement consisting of the first paragraph or two of an inverted pyramid story. An inverted pyramid story is a story that starts off with the most important information and ends with the least relevant information. The most important information that most if not every lead should contain is defining the who, what, where, when, why, and how. The lead is what draws the reader in and makes them want to continue reading the story. The lead needs to be something that will grab the readers attentions right away. Background information can be important in a situation where the reader knows a person in the story or perhaps that person lives very close to where the story took place. However this information should not be included in the lead because in the grand scheme of things it is simply not the most important facts. Just because the background information may be relevant to some people does not mean it is relevant to everyone. News journalists need to write a story for every demographic and not just one group of people.