Comments on: Burying the lead http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/ by Jeff Jarvis Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:53:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Creating Content « Radio Boutros http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-383342 Creating Content « Radio Boutros Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:11:09 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-383342 [...] have spent quite a bit of time on the importance of writing a good lede and how it is even more important on the web. It is my firm belief that lede writing is the #1 skill any new media journalist needs to learn. [...] [...] have spent quite a bit of time on the importance of writing a good lede and how it is even more important on the web. It is my firm belief that lede writing is the #1 skill any new media journalist needs to learn. [...]

]]> By: Charles http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358990 Charles Mon, 03 Sep 2007 12:13:04 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358990 Maybe newsprint rationing would do it. Worked wonders for journalism in the UK. And why TF "lede"? Citation? In the UK it's the "intro" which has an obvious etymology. Maybe newsprint rationing would do it. Worked wonders for journalism in the UK.

And why TF “lede”? Citation? In the UK it’s the “intro” which has an obvious etymology.

]]> By: chico haas http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358604 chico haas Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:19:09 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358604 Bad analogy, good response. Bad analogy, good response.

]]> By: Jeff Jarvis http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358447 Jeff Jarvis Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:27:55 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358447 Uh, Chico, it's a story about South Park, not Moby Fucking Dick. That's just the problem: The reporter thinks he's writing a novel. He's supposed to impart a bit of information on my subway ride. Uh, Chico, it’s a story about South Park, not Moby Fucking Dick. That’s just the problem: The reporter thinks he’s writing a novel. He’s supposed to impart a bit of information on my subway ride.

]]> By: chico haas http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358439 chico haas Tue, 28 Aug 2007 21:12:26 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358439 "Call me Ishmael. I'm crewing for a Captain looking to kill the white whale that bit off his leg. He finds the whale, but it kills him." “Call me Ishmael. I’m crewing for a Captain looking to kill the white whale that bit off his leg. He finds the whale, but it kills him.”

]]> By: John Dowdell http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358437 John Dowdell Tue, 28 Aug 2007 20:33:48 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358437 When people just can't seem to get to the point, it's often because they don't really have one. When people just can’t seem to get to the point, it’s often because they don’t really have one.

]]> By: bill http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358415 bill Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:52:39 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358415 "Get to the point. Bring back the inverted pyramid. Stop burying the lead." Amen! Amen! Amen! Wouldn't be much of a problem if this were a rare occurrence, but this happens all the time now. I long for the days when I could read the first couple of paragraphs, get the essentials, then decide how much additional flavor I need. It's like newspapers are wasting our time... “Get to the point. Bring back the inverted pyramid. Stop burying the lead.”

Amen! Amen! Amen!

Wouldn’t be much of a problem if this were a rare occurrence, but this happens all the time now. I long for the days when I could read the first couple of paragraphs, get the essentials, then decide how much additional flavor I need. It’s like newspapers are wasting our time…

]]> By: John C Abell http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358409 John C Abell Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:20:40 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358409 The problem here is more bait-and-switch than burying the lede. I didn't mind the soft lede approach so much as that the particulars mentioned in the lede were irrelevant to the story -- even the mini-story they chose to get things going. The irony that Stone needs YouTube and gets no money from it is something to which everyone can relate, and neatly sets up the impact of the deal. But I was waiting for circle to be closed on the N-word episode and was so distracted looking for it that I skated right past the news, and had to go back. That's why the print version fails. Take your readers on a detour for effect, if you are skilled at this, but don't lead us down a blind ally. The problem here is more bait-and-switch than burying the lede.

I didn’t mind the soft lede approach so much as that the particulars mentioned in the lede were irrelevant to the story — even the mini-story they chose to get things going. The irony that Stone needs YouTube and gets no money from it is something to which everyone can relate, and neatly sets up the impact of the deal.

But I was waiting for circle to be closed on the N-word episode and was so distracted looking for it that I skated right past the news, and had to go back.

That’s why the print version fails. Take your readers on a detour for effect, if you are skilled at this, but don’t lead us down a blind ally.

]]> By: Tim Walker http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358408 Tim Walker Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:19:35 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358408 One problem I run into every day in my RSS feed of Times stories: Headlines that *also* don't convey the lead. They're forever putting out headlines saying that "Chemical Company does X" instead of "BASF does X" or "Finance Executive Indicted . . ." instead of "Former XCorp CFO Joe Schmoe Indicted." Too often the partial feed in the RSS doesn't clear this up, either, since the meat -- which company, which executive -- is buried. Once you notice the trend, it becomes maddening. (It may affect me worse because I caught the tail-end of old-school journalism training in the 1980s, but I doubt it.) One problem I run into every day in my RSS feed of Times stories: Headlines that *also* don’t convey the lead. They’re forever putting out headlines saying that “Chemical Company does X” instead of “BASF does X” or “Finance Executive Indicted . . .” instead of “Former XCorp CFO Joe Schmoe Indicted.” Too often the partial feed in the RSS doesn’t clear this up, either, since the meat — which company, which executive — is buried. Once you notice the trend, it becomes maddening. (It may affect me worse because I caught the tail-end of old-school journalism training in the 1980s, but I doubt it.)

]]> By: Mike Keliher http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358392 Mike Keliher Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:04:35 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/08/28/burying-the-lead/#comment-358392 There's plenty of room in journalism -- especially print journalism, I'd argue -- for things loftier and more stimulating than the inverted pyramid. One of the most common statements on the future of journalism bangs us over the head with the idea that news(paper) businesses will survive by breaking news on the Web and using print for most analysis and deeper thought. That's what I see here: an article that takes its time -- not in a bad way -- to tell a story. Maybe I don't give a damn about South Park's new ad deal in and of itself. But in the context of Comedy Central struggling to find the right way to operate in this new media world, it's a hell of a lot more interesting. And unless the print edition had a different headline that what's on the Web -- " 'South Park' Creators Win Ad Sharing in Deal" -- that headline gets the job done. There's your lead. If you want to be a "get me the news now 'cause I don't want to read the whole article" guy, stop there. There’s plenty of room in journalism — especially print journalism, I’d argue — for things loftier and more stimulating than the inverted pyramid. One of the most common statements on the future of journalism bangs us over the head with the idea that news(paper) businesses will survive by breaking news on the Web and using print for most analysis and deeper thought.

That’s what I see here: an article that takes its time — not in a bad way — to tell a story. Maybe I don’t give a damn about South Park’s new ad deal in and of itself. But in the context of Comedy Central struggling to find the right way to operate in this new media world, it’s a hell of a lot more interesting.

And unless the print edition had a different headline that what’s on the Web — ” ‘South Park’ Creators Win Ad Sharing in Deal” — that headline gets the job done. There’s your lead. If you want to be a “get me the news now ’cause I don’t want to read the whole article” guy, stop there.

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