Week 5 - Leads Exercise

Leads: Hard and Soft
Based on your reading of Ch. 7 tell what kind of leads are used in the following stories. Use the format below to answer the following questions at the bottom of each story.

A) Read the top of this story and answer questions below:
From Times Wire Reports
September 7, 2007

ANCHORAGE -- -- Melting faster than scientists had expected, the Arctic ice cap will shrink 40% in most regions by 2050, with grim consequences for polar bears, walruses and other marine animals, according to government researchers.

In the 1980s, sea ice receded 30 to 50 miles each summer off the north coast, said James E. Overland, a Seattle-based oceanographer for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Now we're talking about 300 to 500 miles north of Alaska," he said of projections for 2050.

1) Is this a hard or soft news lead.
2) What makes it so?
3) Within those categories, is this lead an impact, summary, feature or anecdotal lead.
4) What makes it so?

B) Read the top of this story and answer questions below:

September 3, 2007 -
FRESHMAN year was turning out much differently than Christine, 18 at the time, had anticipated.

Away from her family and overwhelmed by courses that were far harder than she'd expected, the University of California student had begun sleeping in, missing classes and skipping meals. Then she received news from home: Her parents' business had gone bankrupt.

She told no one of the sadness engulfing her. But soon her dorm roommate noticed bloody cuts on Christine's arms. The two young women weren't particularly close, and the roommate said nothing to Christine. But she alerted their resident advisor, who confronted Christine about the cuts and her depression. In keeping with federal privacy laws -- and Christine's wishes -- her family was never notified.

"My resident advisor said I had to get help. I said OK, but I didn't want anyone in my family to find out," says Christine. "If I had ever thought my parents would know, I'm positive I wouldn't have gone to counseling."


Now, with the overall number of mentally ill college students rising, college administrators, mental-health professionals and students across the country are weighing that right to privacy against the need to assist those students who are deeply distressed or mentally ill.

1) Is this a hard or soft news lead.
2) What makes it so?
3) Within those categories, is this lead an impact, summary, feature or anecdotal lead.
4) What makes it so?

C) Write your own hard news summary lead for the set of facts listed below:


-Apple Inc has built its business on the goodwill of a devoted band of customers who can't wait to buy the latest Mac, iPod or software.

-Apple product buyers know something cheaper, faster and cooler is always on the way, but they're willing to pay a premium because Apple generally doesn't cut prices on products for six to eight months, when it has fancier versions to show off.

On Wednesday, Apple cut the price of the high-end iPhone, to $399 from $599.

Apple Inc.'s chief executive issued a rare apology Thursday for slashing the iPhone's price this week.

Steve Jobs apologized for "disappointing" initial buyers of the iPhone for $600.

The apology came two months after the company's most ardent fans waited in line for hours to buy the $600 gadget.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs said Apple would discontinue a $499 version with half the storage capacity because customers preferred the other.

Steve Jobs offered $100 store credits to anyone who had paid full price for the iPhone, a much-hyped product that combines a cellphone, a Web-surfing device and an iPod.