News Leads

Anecdotal Lead:
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/feb/08/help-give-little-ones-a-bonny-02/

"Chaplain Pearly Stone still remembers the first mother who was in need.

Because her pregnancy was high-risk, the mother was admitted to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis. The mom had worked two jobs, but had to give them up.
Her husband was laid off, and one of the couple's other children had a burst appendix.

The mother checked herself out of The Med, against doctor's advice, to be by the side of her ailing child, then returned to have her baby.

But the mother had no clothes in which to take her newborn home."

As a woman, I understand that having a child is incredibly meaningful. However, it also comes with a lot of stress. The thought of having to work twice as hard to provide for your child. The compassion that this group shows warms the heart. I liked how this organization will continue to donate during the economic downturn.

The reporter seemed to find it important to recognize the work of the program. The lead caught my attention quickly since the woman seemed to have a hard time with her life and her pregnancy. However, the focus was on the program and how it helped women who could not provide for their child's most simple needs

Hard Lead
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/feb/08/parking-lot-argument-leads-to-deadly-shooting/

"An argument about cars on Friday night ended with the shooting death of a 52-year-old Lakeland man on a Trinity Commons parking lot, the victim's son said on Saturday.

Police officials confirmed Saturday that the shooting apparently escalated from a dispute between two men in the parking lot.

Police had a suspect in custody but had not filed charges late Saturday, said Det. Monique Martin, department spokeswoman."

This lead got to the point quickly. When I heard about this incident, I truly wanted the facts of the situation. The article answered the 5 W's. The article also gave information about the victim, which was key to the story.

The reporter obviously thought that the fact that a seemingly innocent man had been shot over something incredibly stupid. The ridiculous reason that this man eventually died for is depressing.