noun
- plural of lede; the opening sentence or paragraph of a news article that summarizes the most important information
Usage: journalism; also spelled 'leads' in traditional usage, but 'lede' is the modern journalistic spelling to distinguish from the metal 'lead'
Examples
- The reporter crafted several different ledes before settling on the most compelling one.
- Good ledes answer the who, what, when, where, and why in the first few sentences.
- Editors often rewrite ledes to make them more engaging for readers.
- The ledes of these articles all emphasized the breaking news angle.
- Journalism students learn to write strong ledes that grab attention immediately.