worst leads you have seen

I take that back. I just ready Jeremy Goodwin's post about the desk inserting "what a difference a year makes." Jeremy, you have my sympathy.

 

My paper had this one once on a sidebar of one of the local pro teams.


Fans of the (team name) can relate to Justin Timberlake.

Like him, they can't decide whom they are in love with most, a "problem" almost anyone would willingly take on: fall for a hot, young lady or promising prospect, only to be ripped away by daydreams about another. Then repeat the cycle as soon as the next best thing comes along.

 

... defines taint as the perineum, or the region of the human body between the testicles or vagina and the anus.

 

Here's one I've seen several times from a veteran writer at a nearby paper who really should know better.
"The expected happened."
Sheesh!

 

No because you can always lede with

Joe Blow had 145 rushing yards and 3 TDs for Podunk High in a 21-9 win over Podunk Heights Friday night.

Real boring, but your delivering the news right up front.

 

"It was a dark and stormy night."

 

DATELINE — "How 'bout them (insert team here)?"

 

nobody sucks that bad.

 

Snoopy?

 

The AP lede from Super Bowl XXXII (Broncos vs. Packers) has always stuck with me as being particularly bad. 1997-98 was an especially strong El Nino year, and Southern California was pretty well swamped with rain that winter. It was a big news story for several weeks. The writer tried to work it into his lead, apparently in an attempt to slip in a cool pop culture reference, and failed miserably:

"SAN DIEGO -- An earthquake hit San Diego, and it had nothing to do with El Nino."

Well no shit, sherlock. Weather has nothing to do with earthquakes. Not to mention awkward, clumsy and just plain brutal for one of the greatest games and stories of the Super Bowl era. Just awful.

 

The Syracuse Orange played the DePaul Blue Demons with just seven available scholarship players here at the Allstate Arena on Wednesday night. Syracuse really needed just one.




first of all, do wel really need the mascots in the lead? second of all, they really needed just 1 player? you mean to tell me if it was 5 on 1 all night, Cuse would've won?

 

You laugh, but I used that once. My second line was: No, really, it was.