Lead: the types and roles/functions of lead:

A reporter may begin his or her news story in various ways. There are no hard
and fast rules to begin the story. Mencher 1989 says there are two types of leads:
direct and delayed. Direct leads are used for important, breaking news stories,
while delayed leads are used on feature and news feature stories. That is to say,
direct lead is used in hard news story and delayed lead in soft news story. The
lead has the answer to the six Wh questions. They are 5w and 1H:
1. Who?–related to person
2. What?- related to event or object
3. When?- related to time
4. Where?- related to place
5. Why?-related purpose/reason
6. How?- related to manner or process
Types of lead:
On the basis of variety of presentation, leads can be classified into several
categories as follows:
 1. Summary lead:
The summary lead is the most important and common and widely
used lead in newspapers. This lead summarises a key point or
points. It does not ‘’spill the whole story’’ but imparts a sense of
what was the central issue of the event. Summary leads are straight
leads that just state the facts and include the who, what, where,
when, why and sometimes even the how of the event. Traditionally
summary leads have been used to report breaking news. The
summary lead is also known as the digest lead or direct lead or
straight news lead because this lead is based on ‘just-the-facts’
approach. For example:
Ten people were killed and at least twenty injured when a bus and car smashed onto
each other. This mishap took place near Lamahi in the morning.
2. Figurative or colour lead:
The figurative lead makes use of metaphor, simile or other figures of speech. This
does not provide literal sense. For example:
Time is like a thief stealing what is most precious to me.
3. Oddity lead: the oddity lead begins with satirical style. It makes use of odd
statements and unusual approach to attract the readers. Its like a classified
advertisement. For example:
‘For sale: one elephant’. The city park commission is thinking about adding a new
member to the family.
4. Quotation lead: The quotation lead begins with a direct, short, eye- catching
quote from someone involved in the story. This lead is use in speech
reporting, but the quotation should be so important or remarkable for the
story. For example:
‘’When a boxer’s bites another boxer’s ear, he should be banned from boxing for
life’’, said Ajay Ali, pressing a handkerchief against the side of his bloody head.
‘Ignorance, not poverty, causes malnutrition’. Thus revealed the former Health
Minister Gagan Thapa.
5. Question lead: The question lead begins with a question and makes reader
want to know the answer. It is used to provoke the readers curiosity. It fits
with unusual or routine stories that need an informal tone. For example:
Is corruption really begin institutionalised in Nepal?
6. Dialogue lead: The dialogue lead starts with someone talking or having a
conversation. But this lead takes space. For example:
‘My party will win this election’, said PM.
‘Will we be just watching how you will win the election?’ said the opposition
leader KP Oli.
7. Descriptive lead: The descriptive lead, also known as situation or picture lead,
tries to paint a word picture of a person, place or event, creating a mental
picture of the subject matter in the mind of the reader. The idea is to create
visual impact that makes up the subject of the story. For example:
 The new principal, though only his early thirties, is already silver haired. He
seldom talks much when he does, he talks with sense.
8. Bullet lead: The bullet lead is a very short sentence, usually a flash message,
which carries impact. This lead hits the readers like bullet. This lead used to
convey a hard-hitting message to the readers or to reveal some high voltage
piece of information. For example:
The president is dead.
IGP is shot dead.
9. Staccato lead: The staccato lead consists of short, clipped words, phrases and
sentences, sometimes separated by dots or dashed. It is usually disruptive. It
creats certain mood in the story and attracts the readers attention. For
example:
‘Poverty. Unemployment. Corruption’. These are the real problems our nation
is facing today.
Midnight on the bridge.... a screen... a shot... a splash... a second shot...a third
shot.
10. Direct address lead: The direct address lead or direct appeal lead directly
speaks to the reader, addressing as ‘you’. It enhances the interest of the
reader as it directly talks to them. For example:
You might not get relief from the harsh winds as the weather is going to be
the same for next 15 days.
11. Blind lead: If the person concerned is not well- known in the community, his
or her name is less important than other facts that identify the person. Then
the lead is blind. For example:
A policeman inspector’s son was attacked with a knife by some miscreants on
New Road this morning.
12. Parody lead: This lead attempts to play on words, using widely known
proverbs, quotations, songs titles, poems or other expressions. For example:
Water, water everywhere, but no water to drink. This was what flood victims
found in their dismay.
13. Delayed or suspended interest lead: This type of lead works as a stimulator of
interest among readers. After the lead, the story runs in chronological order,
so that the reader must read to the very end to get the climax of the story.
For example:
The quick action of Raju Tamang, a baker, probably saved this city of 12,496
inhabitants from disaster today.