Thursday, April 21, 2011

Writing a news lead (or lede)

Who: Michael and Robert Meeropol
What: The brothers discovered their father is a spy
When: July 1950
Where: Lower East Side
Why: Because he was a spy.
How: The FBI agents arrested them.
Lead: They were the most famous orphans of the cold war, only 6 and 10 years old in 1953 when their parents were executed at Sing Sing for delivering atomic-bomb secrets to the Soviet Union. Then they were whisked from an unwanted limelight to urban anonymity and eventually to suburban obscurity.
My Lead: Executed in Sing Sing, the father of Michael and Robert Meeropol made his sons infamous for being orphaned. They were caught in a entanglement of conspiracy after learning their father was a spy.

Who: Action Comics No. 1
What: After being found (from being hidden since 1966) is being sold.
When: Feb. 2009
Where: Auction site
Why: It's a valued collectible. 1 of 100 & out of 20 still untouched.
How: A man holding onto the comic after finding it in his garage.
Lead: After being hidden away for years, a copy of the original "Action Comics No. 1" comic book, featuring Superman and friends, will make a comeback -- to the tune of about $400,000, a comic expert told CNN Thursday.
My Lead: Comic enthusiasts gravitate towards an original "Action Comics No. 1" that has, seemingly, risen from the graveyard of a man who's been keeping it a secret for years. 

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