Final Leads

Who: A 24-year-old Mountain View man was beaten and robbed in his apartment complex yesterday morning.

What: A violent robbery rocked the residents of a Mountain View apartment complex yesterday morning.

Where: An apartment complex in Mountain View is on high alert following the assault and robbery of one of its residents yesterday morning.

How: A benign toilet lid became a vicious weapon in the hands of two robbers when they attacked a resident of a Mountain View apartment complex.


I think the what and how leads are both good choices. The what lead gets the important parts of the story across quickly. But if I were the editor I would choose the how lead because it grabs attention and gets the point across quickly. Also, news like this will likely make the front page and be accompanied by a picture and a big headline which leaves a little room for starting with fun facts like toilet lids.