"The Lead, Will the Reader Follow?"

Discussion Questions

1. I tend to read as much of the newspaper as time permits. I generally start from the sports section as that is my primary interest as well as preferred career path (sports journalism.) I don't often read business or lifestyle sections as they hold no interest for me. The front section of newspaper is worth reading in order to stay in touch with current events.
   
2. I personally would spend a greater percentage of time watching tv, but i don't think that the difference in time would be substantial. I try to read at least one paper each morning but i don't often have time to watch excessive amounts of television. The local newspaper would probably be more appealing if it was presented better, there always appears to be too much clutter. I prefer to read the Newcastle Herald or the Sydney Morning Herald as opposed to the star or post.
3. Make the story interesting. Go back and conduct more research or another interview and attempt to find an angle that is more newsworthy. There is little point in getting a reader to the second paragraph only for them to lose interest in your lead anyway. If there is no strong news value the writer should be creative and proactive in finding a better angle or a previously undiscovered point.
4. If the intro just doesn't work initially, try and try again. Start from the basics. Make sure the intro is concise 20-25 words or less, gets straight to the most important news value, doesn't bury the lead, conforms to the subject-verb-object sentence structure and has a hook. If there was still an issue with the intro the 'over the fence' technique or asking for a second opinion could be useful. If the story is interesting and the research has been done there is no reason to be unable to write a meaningful and grabbing introduction.
5. You would need to explain and apologise to any of your sources who may have been affected and approach your sub-editor. Explain the situation to the sub-editor and publish an apology in print outlining the misunderstanding. A new article should be published to present the real story or at least explain what was wrong with the first one.