Good leads vs. Bad ones

BAD

"SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea claimed on Tuesday to have missiles that can reach the American mainland, and it said that the recent agreement between Washington and the South Korean government to extend the range of South Korean ballistic missiles was increasing the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula." 

• The New York Times published this article today, and immediately the lead got my attention, but that was only because I am afraid of North Korean missiles.  I feel that there is too much information in the lead, or the sentence is too much of a run on.  It is a very wordy lead, as picky as that makes me sound, and Korea is said so many times I forgot which one I was supposed to be afraid of.

"ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Plans for extreme athlete and skydiver Felix Baumgartner to make a death-defying, 23-mile free fall into the southeastern New Mexico desert were on hold Tuesday morning due to winds, but his team was still hoping the weather would clear after sunrise in time to make the jump."

• I can't figure out what it is about this lead that I don't like.  It might be that there is too much information.  I think that they could have put "but his team was still hoping the weather would clear after sunrise in time to make the jump." in the second paragraph considering it is not vital information to the reader.

"On the occasion of being named the Sexiest Woman Alive by Esquire Magazine, Mila Kunis reiterated her pro-Obama, anti-GOP views."

• Putting all of my love for Mila Kunis aside, (I clicked on the article for her), I hate the lead. It doesn't tell me enough. It doesn't tell me specifics. It's very bland. I wish it said what she was so opposed to, what kind of view. As an uninformed citizen I don't even know what an anti-GOP view is.

GOOD

"About 13,000 people may have been exposed to the tainted steroid that has been linked to a growing outbreak of fungal meningitis, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday. The outbreak has killed 8 people and sickened 97 others in 23 states. More cases are expected."

• The New York Times published this article on October 8th.  I think that this is a really good example of a good lead.  It gives hard numbers which readers like, it tells you the who, what, when, where and why and it gives the reader a reason to keep reading.

"BELLEFONTE, Pa. — Jerry Sandusky has been sentenced to at least 30 years in prison in the child sexual abuse scandal that brought shame to Penn State and led to coach Joe Paterno's downfall."

• The Record, a North Jersey newspaper that I just so happen to be addicted to, published this article about Jerry Sandusky.  I love this lead because the reader doesn't even have to go any further with the reading... I didn't. I know all that I need to know with this lead and (happily) exited out of the article.

"(Reuters) - The U.S. government filed a civil mortgage fraud lawsuit on Tuesday against Wells Fargo & Co, the latest legal volley against big banks for their lending during the housing boom." 

• I like this lead. It's straight forward and tells me exactly what they are going to talk about.  It gives you the 5 W's, just the way it should and is extremely concise.