Summary ledes vs. feature ledes

A summary lede is typically used for news stories with the goal of passing along the who, what, when and where to the reader in 25 words or less. On the other hand, a feature lede sets the scene while deferring the purpose of the story for the nut graph somewhere within the first three paragraphs. A feature lede can, at times, take on a more literary tone which gives the writer additional flexibility and room to be creative. While a good summary lede displays the most important facts first, a good feature lede builds the foundation for which the rest of the story is built upon.

Examples of recent feature ledes:

1. From The Washington Post: "Alzner shows another side for Caps" by Tarik El-Bashir

"Karl Alzner is reminded of the daunting challenge he faces each time he walks into the dressing room at the Washington Capitals' Arlington practice facility. It's right there along the wall to the right -- the locker stalls of the seven defensemen who helped the team advance to within a game of the Eastern Conference finals last season.

Alzner wants to have a fulltime spot along that wall come Oct. 1, when the Capitals open the season in Boston. But, barring a trade, injury or the unlikely decision by management to keep eight defensemen, he knows that will only happen if he outperforms one of the incumbents over the next two weeks."

El-Bashir sets the scene in the first paragraph, taking the reader where they can't go - inside the team's dressing room. It's the second paragraph that El-Bashir uses for his nut graph. In other words, it's the second paragraph that tells the reader El-Bashir's purpose for writing the story.

2. From the Calgary Herald: "Theo's making it difficult for Flames to say no" by George Johnson

"He's becoming a kind of rash, this audacious little beggar. And those inside the Calgary Flames' family who figured the Theo Fleury experiment was nothing more than an annoying lark, a stunt, a PR nuisance destined to quickly run its course, are starting to break out in hives."