Good Leads and Bad Leads

Good Lead: http://news.yahoo.com/500-migrants-feared-drowned-off-malta-coast-iom-150407968.html

"More than 700 people fleeing Africa and the Middle East may have drowned in shipwrecks in the Mediterranean over the last week, bringing the death toll this year to almost 3,000, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Monday."

This lead gets straight to the point, reporting the important information. It tells you who (migrants fleeing Africa and the Middle East) where (the Mediterranean Sea) what (a lot may have drowned) how (in shipwrecks) and when (over the last week). The author does not lie for a more interesting lead, admitting that “more than 700” “may have drowned.” The author does not claim to know for a fact. They then give a little bit more context, citing the International Organization for Migration, who report that this will bring the yearly death toll to nearly 3,000. This lead does an effective job of getting across the important information, drawing the reader in, and letting them know that this event is part of an ongoing problem.

Other Good Lead: http://news.msn.com/us/obama-reaffirms-opposition-to-us-combat-in-iraq

"'The American forces do not and will not have a combat mission,' Obama told troops at MacDill Air Force Base. It was a firm response to suggestions raised Tuesday by his top military commander that under certain circumstances, American ground forces may be needed."

This lead starts with an Obama quote, which makes sense because the entire point of the article is what Obama has to say. It is a quote that gets right to the point and shows what Obama's stance is.

Bad Lead: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/clayton-kershaw-strengthens-case-for-nl-mvp-as-dodgers-follow-his-lead-005233263.html

"The Los Angeles Dodgers have their issues. This we know.

At their worst, they are preening, pouting, half-jog flowers who'd be far better players if they spent as much time in the batting cage as they did wishing they were better taken care of.

The rest of the time, they act as though they are Clayton Kershaw's team."

This lead is very opinionated. It does not give the information of what Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw did, but rather it just tries to sound snarky without really giving any evidence. Given that the article is from San Francisco, the team that the Dodgers beat, it seems that the author may have some bias, referring to the Dodgers as “preening, pouting, half-jog flowers who'd be far better players if they spent as much time in the batting cage as they did wishing they were better taken care of.” Currently, the Dodgers have the best record in their division and one of the best records in baseball. I think that a more appropriate lead would be something that just talks about the game, while giving context to it’s significance and who was important. The article focuses on Kershaw a lot, so the lead should as well. “Clayton Kershaw leads the Dodgers to a 4-2 victory against the Giants. Kershaw let up two runs in eight innings, bringing his record up to 19-3, keeping his ERA at 1.70, and furthering his case for MVP. The Dodgers took the series from the Giants, giving themselves a little more breathing room over their rival as they extended their lead to three and a half games.”