"A prominent human rights lawyer in Beijing says he was abducted, beaten and threatened over the weekend by a gang of men who demanded that he and his family leave the city."

This is a fantastic lede to an article on the top of page A5 of my October 3 New York Times. In "thesis" style, a lede is the focal point of the written piece. Unlike a thesis which requires further supporting paragraphs, however, the lede has all of the information packed into one vital sentence. I think the beauty of a good lede shines when it effectively launches the piece to a variety of audiences while pulling the readers into as though the article was personalized for each individual.

This particular lede is a perfect summary of the article, clearly states the necessary information, and still offers a hint of mystery which engages the reader into the rest of the story. The article illustrates solid hard-news event coverage, especially with two aspects of time-sensitivity. First, because the whole ordeal took place over the weekend. Secondly, the world is closely scrutinizing China in the wake of the upcoming Olympics in Beijing 2008. With that, the reader is presented with concise information, but the lede (and article as a whole) encourages the reader to draw his/her own conclusions and search for more details on the subject.

Nice work, David Barboza

Click here to read article