Journalism 133: Prof. Craig: Working on Leads
WORKING ON LEADS
Many factors can influence the type of lead that's best for a given story. In most cases, the nature and context of the story points you in a direction befitting both the story's details and the audience of the publication in question.What would your approach be in working with a reporter on leads for each of the following stories? Why would you make certain choices?
- The National Center for Education Statistics has released findings from a study about college students and employment. The study is titled The New Majority Learner Report. The study found some changes from previous studies about the nature of college students and their lives. It found that nearly 70 percent of U.S. college students are working while attending school, an increase of 10 percent from 2016. It also found that 40 percent of college students are older than age 22 (the common age for students to graduate in four years after high school), and that 25 percent of students are immigrants. Many students described themselvs as "time poor," managing work, education, and family responsibilities simultaneously.
- A delivery driver for a Chinese food restaurant was robbed yesterday while taking food to an apartment in San Jose. The apartment complex was at 415 E Taylor St. The driver was robbed of the Chinese food at gunpoint. The driver works for The Great Wall of China Restaurant at 1175 E. Julian St. A man opened the outside security door for him to let him in, and then the man disappeared. A short time later, the man came back and pointed a gun at the delivery driver. The man threatened to kill the driver unless he handed over the food. The driver gave it to him and ran out of the apartment building. Police weren't sure what specific food dishes the driver was carrying.
- A fire in Los Gatos caused $76,000 in damages to a two-bedroom home in the 2300 block of Denair Avenue. Fire officials said the fire was started by a lighted cigarette on a sofa. Firefighters arrived at the house at 3:30 a.m. and found it on fire. They had the blaze under control in five minutes. The homeowner, Kathy Mahoney, was awakened by the smoke and flames. She suffered minor burns on her hands and feet.
- The National Endowment for the Arts reported that fewer than half of all adults said they had read a book in 2022, and that the percentage of Americans who read for pleasure has fallen to 16 percent. In spite of this, a book club that started in San Francisco in 2012 has grown to have chapters in all 50 U.S. states and dozens of countries. Silent Book Club brings people together to read in silence, surrounded by other people, for an hour. Participants are given the option to stay and chat afterward. There are chapters in more than a dozen Bay Area cities. Participants say they enjoy the quiet time without distractions, and the chance to meet like-minded people.
- Information comes from police in Santa Ana, CA. A Santa Ana woman was charged with attempted murder yesterday. She was being held in the Orange County jail after being unable to post $250,000 bond. Police said the woman, Joan Carter, 71, doused her husband, who was confined to a wheelchair and had cancer, with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire. Police said she was angry because he ate her chocolate Easter bunny. She called paramedics six hours after the attack on her husband. Paul Carter, 62, was taken to the University of California Irvine Burn Center with third-degree burns, police said.