5 w's and h lead writing exercises

Lead Writing
Exercises

News Writing

Lead writing reminders

• Choose the information with the most
impact or that is the most interesting.
Think of your news values (proximity,
timeliness, impact, conflict, oddity, human
interest …)

• Write a complete summary lead. One or
two sentences to start the story and cover
most of the 5W’s and H.

• Don’t add info that you don’t know!

Always start with the most
important info, end with the least

•What: Good to start with
•Why: Might be good to start with
•When: Rarely a good place to start
•Where: Rarely (proximity)
•Who: Might be the most important
(prominence)
•How: Might be a good place

Write a lead using the 5W’s and H

According to Lake Mary Police:
• Where: Lake Mary, Fla., an Orlando suburb
• When: Monday, Sept. 9
• Who: George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty

in the shooting of Trevon Martin, who was unarmed
• What: Zimmerman was arrested after his wife called

911, saying he had threatened her and her family
with a gun
• Why: Zimmerman’s wife recently filed for divorce
• How: Police dashcams showed Zimmerman on his
knees as police approached. One of the officers had
a gun drawn on him.

Write a lead using the 5W’s and H

• Where: Orlando, FBLA state competition
• When: Sunday, Nov. 3
• Who: Adam Bernstein, senior
• What: won first place in Website Design
• Why: His website for the fictional Willow Lake

B&B was judged the best of those submitted.
• How: “I’ve been working on this website for

months based on the national topic,” Bernstein
said. “I’ll be tweaking it based on the judges’
comments in hopes of winning at nationals.”

Write a lead using the 5W’s and H

• What: Try-outs for the 20 available positions in
the Color Guard. Ability to twirl a flag not
necessary, but coordination is.

• Where: Main courtyard
• When: Wednesday, Sept. 18, 3 p.m.
• Who: Dancers, students with rhythm
• Why: New positions are open because the

award-winning band auxiliary is expanding.
• How: See Ms. Brenda Lee, Color Guard coach,

Room 142, to sign up.

Write a lead using the 5W’s and H

• A fight broke out in the cafeteria during second
lunch on Tuesday.

• Ten students were suspended, according to
information the principal provided to teachers.

• Although students are saying race was a factor
because one of the students seen in the fight
used the n-word, the principal denies that race
was an issue.

• “The students suspended were of different
races and nationalities,” Principal Joe Garcia
said. “And that’s all I’m going to say about it.”

Write a lead using the 5W’s and H

• Music teacher Susan Schaub has received a grant
to study in New York this summer.

• She will take a course at The Julliard School and
participate in a choral performance at Carnegie Hall.

• She will attend symphonies, an opera and a
Broadway musical, meet directors and conductors
and participate in music seminars.

• “It’s a dream come true,” she said.
• She’s particularly excited to be bringing what she

learns back to her students next school year.