How to Write a Summation Lead

Build your lead around the credo of professional journalists: the five w's and one h, shorthand for who, what, where, when, why and how. You don't necessarily have to flesh out the information in this particular order; some elements might be better off addressed later in the article or, if they're truly insignificant, not at all. Let the facts be your guide, knowing that a solid summation lead should give readers a full synopsis of a news event in a concise manner. After the lead, prioritize the information and expound on the most important points first. Journalists refer to this as inverted-pyramid style, because just as an upside-down pyramid, a news article goes from being wide and expansive in scope to gradually more narrow.

Practice writing summation leads, and soon you will be writing the first draft in your head even as a news event is unfolding. For example, suppose you are covering a school board meeting for your school newspaper. A summation lead might read as follows: “Kennedy High School board members voted 4-3 Tuesday night to allow students to use their cell phones during lunch periods in response to a student petition drive that urged the lifting of a comprehensive ban on phone usage during school hours.” This lead addresses the who, what, when and why; the how and where are probably insignificant, and subsequent paragraphs might expound on the why.