Lead (from the English. Lead paragraph - leading or main paragraph) - annotation, "heading" of an article, news or press release . It consists of one first selected paragraph in which the problem and essence of the publication are briefly posed. Usually no more than 3-5 lines, 1-3 sentences.
The headline , lead and ending are the most important structural elements of a journalistic text [1] .
Content
Description
The first paragraph of the article , an informative passage that allows you to capture the attention of the reader on this material.
The main criterion for the lead is its compactness, which allows for a short reading period to convey to the reader what the author of the material / article wants to further inform.
In the process of writing the lead, it is necessary to capture the reader’s attention in the article as quickly and efficiently as possible, to make it clear that the answer to the question of interest will be found in this text, and you can or should be interested in the question in the same content of the lead.
Importance in Media and Marketing
- The lead accelerates the process of orienting the user in the content of the message against the background of huge flows of information.
- It may be the principle of tweeting on Twitter if you use this service for broadcast.
- It is an indispensable component for the effective functioning of RSS feeds.
Lead Types
- The main one is the type of lead, which in its content reveals the main idea of the text or summarizes it.
- Example: “For several days, the police have been trying to pacify local rioters.”
- Episodic - a kind of lead in which we are told an episode related to the events described.
- Example: ““ Today, in the midst of the harvest festival, where many fruit crops were presented, a contest was held for the most delicious pumpkin this season. I was very glad to know that this season the representative of our small town won, ”said Tatyana the gardener. She was very happy to say that her efforts were not in vain. "
- Quote - a view in which a quote is used that characterizes the content of the text.
- Example: ““ I'm not going to waste time on people who cannot spend their time on me, ”one of our reporters said.”
- Resonance is a view in which, moving away from the main topic of the story, we abruptly move on to revealing the content we need about this object in order to attract the reader's attention (to draw it into reading).
- Example: “Huge characters in the margins. Strange characters began to appear on the landscape of our planet. ”
The type of lead depends entirely on the experience and skill of the journalist, and here are some of its main types.
Notes
- ↑ Kolesnichenko A.V. Title, lead and ending: Chapter 10 // Practical journalism: A training manual. Moscow: Moscow University Press, 2008.