Good Lead vs Bad Lead

Good leads vs Bad Leads

1)   Boy, 17, in critical condition after he 'stopped breathing for FIVE MINUTES' when he was Tasered by cop during traffic stop

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2757817/FBI-investigates-Missouri-officers-stun-gun-use.html

I think this is a good lead because it is the perfect example of a Straight Summary Lead. From the first sentence the reader knows exactly what he/she is about to read; it is very straightforward. In addition, this lead answers the: who, what, when, and why questions.

2)   And it's only Day 2! Rosie O'Donnell shuts down Republican co-host Nicolle Wallace in heated anti-Bush rant over Katrina response

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2758293/Rosie-O-Donnell-shuts-Nicolle-Wallace-anti-Bush-rant-Katrina-response.html

I think this is a bad example of a lead simply because it is confusing to whoever is not up to date with the news. If the reader is not aware of Katrina’s response, he/she might not be interested in the story or even read further because it looks unimportant. A better lead could be: Rosie O’Donnell shuts down Republican co-host Nicolle Wallace over anti-Bush rant. Even though this lead still would interest only a minority of readers who are up to date, it is more to the point and easier to read.

3)   Is YOUR Amazon account at risk? Security expert finds flaw in the Kindle library that could expose personal details

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2757728/Is-YOUR-Amazon-account-risk-Security-expert-finds-flaw-Kindle-library-expose-personal-details.html

This is a good lead that starts with a question that catches the reader’s attention. Since Amazon is such a big company and many people have accounts with them; asking if your account is at risk is a major eye catchy and interesting article that will attract many readers.