Leads and Short Reports

A lead presents the story in such a way that it is intriguing to the reader. The example below is from the Baltimore Sun , and is a summary lead. It is written in past tense and includes time.

"GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas - Rescue crews fanned out across the flooded Gulf Coast yesterday, searching for tens of thousands of Texans who ignored mandatory evacuation orders just before Hurricane Ike crashed ashore in the night with howling winds and a powerful tidal surge."

Like leads, short reports summarize stories in a concise manner. The tense varies and there is no time element. The short report example below is from the Baltimore Sun.

"The statements of a Dundalk teenager accused of fatally shooting a 16-year-old whom he and his friends picked at random to beat up can be used at trial, a Baltimore County judge ruled Friday. William R. "Billy" Ferandes, 17, is charged with first-degree murder in the January death of Joshua Gibson."