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?

1. A survey with notable results was released yesterday by the Child Abuse Prevention Center in Baltimore. The survey shows that three to four children die every day in the United States from child abuse or neglect. Statistics in the survey show that the number of child abuse or neglect cases reported at the end of 2023 rose to 3.3 million, from 2.6 million the previous year. More than half of the children who died were under age 1. Seventy-nine percent of the deaths were among children under age 5.
    
2. 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 718 Western Ave. The driver was robbed of the Chinese food at gunpoint. The driver works for The Great Wall of China Restaurant at 1336 S. 17th 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.
    
3. 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.
    
4. The California Bureau of Investigation yesterday released a report of crime rates for the last three months of 2024. The report says murders in California were down 33 percent since the same period in 2023, but violent crime in the home increased 15 percent. The state bureau officials said the number of rapes and robberies decreased significantly.
    
5. A United Nations scientific panel released a report yesterday. Researchers of the United Nations Environment Program found that damage to the earth's ozone layer is increasing. They predicted that ozone levels could drop 3 percent in the next decade, which would lead to a 10 percent increase in skin cancer. The ozone layer above the earth absorbs some of the sun's cancer-causing ultraviolet rays.
    
6. 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.

 

---