Question 1

Write a straight news lead:

Poor teaching and indifferent faculty cause 60 percent of college students who begin studying science, mathematics or engineering to switch to other majors, a University of Colorado study indicates. (29 words)

Question 2

Write a broadcast lead:

If you started studying science, mathematics or engineering, but switched majors, you are not alone.

Personalize information.

Need to indicate which students.

Subjunctive requires a comma: If…., then…

Question 3

Write a straight news lead:

A $100,000 fire yesterday at a Main Street pizza restaurant collapsed the roof, causing minor injuries two firefighters and destroying the building’s interior, Murfreesboro Fire Department officials said. (28)

Need location of restaurant.

Include time element.

Include seriousness of injuries.

Question 4

Write a broadcast lead:

The roof fell in yesterday, and a Main Street pizza restaurant sustained more than $100,000 in fire damage with minor injuries to two firefighters.

Try not to be flippant.

Question 5

Write a feature lead:

Round and round and round she goes, but as many others at MTSU, graduate student Nancy Pauw has a difficult time finding a parking space.

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Many MTSU students circle parking lots like buzzards looking for a meal due to a lack of parking spaces.

Use example and set scene for reader.

Question 6

Write a straight news lead:

An MTSU student who lives on campus can expect housing to cost more next semester, nearly a 15 percent hike for those who have double-room occupancies. [26 words]

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MTSU students will face an increase in housing costs next fall, including a 14.8 percent hike for double-room occupancy.

Need to put “what” first.

Need to focus on impact.

Personalize information.

Question 7

Write a broadcast lead:

A vandalized school is open again.

Question 8

Write a feature lead:

A $800,000 vacuum cleaner. A $300,000 dishwasher. A fire truck worth a penny. The National Park Service needs to work on it record keeping, according to a new investigative report.

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A $300,000 dishwasher, a one-cent fire truck and an $800,000 vacuum cleaner. Property records of the National Park Service are in disarray, according to the General Accountability Office.

Use examples to get reader’s attention.

Use attribution to provide context.

Question 9

Write a straight news lead:

Owners of electronic security systems would have to pay a penalty for too many false alarms, if the City Council approves a proposed ordinance. (24 words)

Need to put “what” first.

Need to clarify penalty is for too many false alarms.

Question 10

Write a feature lead:

Senior architecture student Ted Flis may hope one day to design award-winning residences, but his current living conditions are showing him what not to include – a staircase held together with duct tape, a vermin-infested kitchen and a bathroom without any electricity.

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Imagine climbing the steps to your apartment and passing duct tape keeping the banisters in place, a kitchen infested with mice and roaches and a bathroom having no electricity. That is the reality of living in an apartment at 1032 Main St. for Ted Flis, a senior majoring in architecture, and his story is common for the many students living in the Oread neighborhood.

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Use descriptions to set scene.

Use irony that Flis is an architecture student.

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Do not use passive voice.