Where have all the hard ledes gone? Where have they gone?
Chi Trib p-1 today, here are first sentences (ledes). Not exactly wuxtry-wuxtry stuff, but what are you gonna do in an age of Internet news? Fire one:
Against the majestic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, in the far eastern corner of Colorado where the land begins to flatten into a vast golden prairie, two teenagers trudge along the weed-bitten edge of an isolated highway.
Fire two:
The gray-faced young man lying in bed number 15 of the run-down local hospital wasn’t much of a talker.
Three:
WASHINGTON — Several weeks ago, nylon shoulder bags ordered for a student financial-aid conference arrived with the Wachovia Bank name splashed on the outside.
Four:
Like a sweaty stranger who sidles up too close in an airless waiting room, a heat wave settled in over the weekend in the Chicago area, forcing people to escape or confront it.
Five:
LAKELAND, Fla. — In the hallway of a science building at Florida Southern College here, silvery ventilation ducts sprout from the floor, rise some 7 feet, take an abrupt 90-degree turn and disappear into the walls of classrooms.
Don’t mind me, folks. Can’t help but notice that this paper is trying to compete with Nelson Algren. The morning reader is expected to settle back and give his full attention. Will he? Will she?
Blithe Spirit 
Jim, you’ve inspired me to offer some constructive suggestions on the peace marchers lede. I agree with you; if not for the headline, I would have stopped reading midway through the first sentence. It doesn’t answer the question: Why would I want to know about these two kids walking along a rural road? There never is a “best” lede, but some can be helped, so how about this to harden it up?
Two teens, walking across America in an up-hill climb to stir up vocal opposition against the Iraq War, recently found themselves quite alone, trudging along a blistering back road in Eastern Colorado.
And not just there. Expecting to attract thousands to their quixotic journey, they have been variously ignored and cursed. Yet, the two, xxx and xxxx, draw strength from the occasional enthusiastic greetings and offers of comfort. They are not deterred.,
“It seems like the country is half asleep,” said Israel, a rail-thin young man with deep-set blue eyes, walking the roadside on a recent morning…. [here insert the “majestic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains” and other color.]
Maybe your readers would like to join in with their own suggestions, all in the spirit of helping a good story along. After all, it is a great story. (Readers also are invited to edit my columns.]
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