Headline: Derek Jeter says 2014 season will be his last
Lede: Derek Jeter isn’t going to spend the 2014 season answering questions and addressing speculation about whether this will be his final season in baseball.This lede could use some work. It is rather vague, provides no context and does not offer any more information than you learn from the headline (besides the fact that Jeter is, in fact, a baseball player). It is also perhaps a bit of conjecture as to Jeter’s motives for retirement. Granted, he will not spend the season dealing with speculation, but that is not what people would read the story to find out. They want to know why he is retiring. The reader has no idea until a bit of information is offered in the third paragraph. Also, since the story is rather sentimental, the lede feels like a bit of a letdown. It could have been stronger and tugged on the heartstrings a little harder.
A story from a few days ago in The Washington Post offers a stronger lead. Sudarsan Raghavan writes about the upheaval in the Central African Republic beginning with the following headline and lede:
Headline: Lynching of Christian man by Muslims is sign of chaos in Central African Republic
Lede: Polin Pumandele was killed about 9:30 a.m.The lede is short, stark and intense. It works well, especially following the matter-of-fact headline. It is almost unexpected, since the headline felt more like a news analysis than a normal news story. By opting for an anecdotal lede, it is more captivating. By keeping it short, the impact almost makes the reader pause before continuing. As with the rest of the story, the writer is not overly descriptive. The entire story carries the stark, rather raw feel to the writing. This maintains the seriousness of the story and lets the facts speak for themselves.
Enjoyed reading this. Yes, sometimes a clipped sentence generates interest. I wondered about this conclusion based on one death and did want to read more.
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