By Libby Ryan
Instead of using a hard news lead, the writer of a technology story for the New York Times chose to briefly describe a unique young woman choosing to opt out of college.
The short profile on Eden Full serves as a window into the story, drawing readers in where a factual lead might not. A factual lead simply would state what is happening in the current job market; the lead used in this story gives a face to the changes facing college students and young adults.
The story focuses around the choices college students are making and is supplemented by facts. A hard news lead would be better suited for a story focused on the facts that are making the students choose the paths they do.
The lead describes what a typical college student would be doing. It sets up a reader to expect the unexpected and draws them to read further. Then in the second paragraph, it lets the reader be surprised with the direction the story goes next.
You're doing a good job. Be sure to continue to attribute. GG