Awful ledes

I posted this on the dog thread, and it inspired me to start this thread. Feel free to add some all-time bad ledes or new ones.

Barbra Streisand had her dog cloned — twice — and PETA isn't happy about it

I can't get over how dumb the idea of Barbra Streisand, cloning trailblazer is.

Barbra Streisand has been blazing trails in Hollywood for half a century, and she appears to be doing the same in the world of animal cloning.

 

Anything holiday related.

 

"It's that time of year again."

No Shit!!! Every time of the year is that time of year again.

 

It was a tale of two halves.

 

I totally did a turkey will taste better after a win lede at every Thanksgiving football game I ever covered. I regret nothing. The mistakes I made as a youngster molded me into the man I am today.

 

Weather related, too.

"It may have been a subzero January night, but inside the gym Johnny Jumpsot was red hot."

 

With all this said, if you do this long enough, there are only so many ways you can write these things. Especially when you have 30 minutes to file.

We're all guilty of bad ledes, I'm sure.

 

Barbra Streisand has always been a nose ahead of others, so it should come as no surprise she’s nosed ahead in the world of animal cloning.

 

Senior Day/Night ledes. Been guilty of this one (probably more than once): "On Senior Night, it was freshman Daffy McDingleduck stealing the spotlight." Pretty cliché.

 

Christmas came early...ugh.

It's that time of year again isn't really a journo staple, but when I hear it on ads or PSA it's like nails on a chalkboard. Does anyone really think people have been waiting with bated breath for the annual local charities event?

Fun fact: the term "bated breath?" Originated with Shakespeare in Merchant of Venice.

My favorite lede of my own was a storm damage follow up and I had "as workers tied the yellow safety ribbon around the old oak tree..."

 

It won't last, though. He sounds like a drinker.