• Briefs and long stories part of the online mix. See CNN.com.
• Stories abbreviated into “blurbs.” See DenverPost.com.
• New formats, cell delivery demand brevity.
• IM trends & shorthand - ADBB. See instant messaging shorthand list.
• More information, shorter attention spans

Good ledes

• Use active verbs, fewer words.
• Contain Who, What, When, Where, Why, How and So What?
• Are a condensed version of the story.
• Can be read aloud in one breath.

Types of ledes

• News (or summary) — from the Daily Camera:

PORTLAND, Ore. - Upping the ante in a series of mysterious arsons across the West, a federal grand jury has charged 11 people with a decade-long conspiracy blamed for years on the shadowy Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front.

Same story from the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News

• Suspense, scene-setting & narrative ledes.

• Ledes that need re-writing — from an Eastern Colorado newspaper:

Several residents of eastern El Paso County received a notice in the mail last week informing them of a hearing which will be held by commissioners Feb. 2 regarding the formation of a special district. Already approved by the county planning commission, the Eastern El Paso County Recreation District will be the topic of discussion along with the swimming pool the district would like to see built in Calhan.

For better ledes, tour The Lead Lab at www.newsu.org. Registration required.