I chose to look at an article about President Obama's sequestration speech, from the Chicago Tribune.
The reporter in this story did lead with the fact that Obama was making remarks on the sequester at a press conference, but chose to at first focus on Obama's combative nature towards Republican lawmakers, and a remark he made about a "Jedi mind-meld," mixing up Star Wars and Star Trek in a pop culture reference.
After a few paragraphs made up of mainly quotes that Obama made toward the GOP and their unwillingness to come to a deal on the sequester, the reporter stepped back and talked about recent remarks by the president and Republicans on the deal, and some background information on the budget cuts.
The reporter then ended the story by going into more detail on the "Jedi mind-meld" gaff, explaining the difference between the two references, and pulling from Twitter remarks made by the White House and Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy.
I think the reporter did a good job at stating the importance of the sequester in this article, and explaining the disagreements between Democrats and Republicans on the matter. The reporter also did a good job at not leading immediately with all the hard details, but rather luring the reader in with the humorous gaff about the mind-meld.
The story was well crafted in that it informed the reader, and didn't shy away from the details about the sequester or Obama's press conference. At the same time, it included a humorous anecdote that may lure in a reader who isn't too concerned with politics, or interested in fights between the two parties. By giving this important event and topic a slightly lighter side, this reporter succeeded in pulling in people with a concern for politics, as well as people who may just be interested in the President making a misguided pop culture reference.
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