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Expert Commentary

(Shorenstein Center)

Basic principles of writing a story lead

by Leighton Walter Kille | April 28, 2009

A lead (also known as a lede) is the first paragraph or several paragraphs of a story, be it a blog entry or a long article. Its mission is to catch readers’ attention and draw them in.

Expert Commentary

Code of ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists

by Leighton Walter Kille | March 30, 2009

A good place to learn about journalists’ rights and responsibilities is the code of ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists, which is widely used in newsrooms and classrooms as a guide for ethical behavior.

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Editors’ Picks

4 takeaways on the economic consequences of the Iran war
Economics, Environment, Politics & Government

4 takeaways on the economic consequences of the Iran war

March 20, 2026

Economic uncertainty, windfalls for oil producers, how businesses communicate with the president and artificial intelligence — check out the insights from our webinar with EconoFact.

Childhood vaccines: What research shows about their safety and potential side effects
Health, Politics & Government

Childhood vaccines: What research shows about their safety and potential side effects

January 5, 2026

In this piece, we share reporting tips, explain how vaccine side effects are tracked in the U.S., and discuss research on the safety of childhood vaccines.

Expert Commentary

287(g): The program that lets state and local police perform the functions of federal immigration officers
Criminal Justice, Politics & Government

287(g): The program that lets state and local police perform the functions of federal immigration officers

April 30, 2025

“In the span of about two months, the Trump administration radically expanded the 287(g) program beyond anything I have seen in the past 15 years of close study of this precise policy,” writes immigration scholar Austin Kocher.

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A project of Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center, The Journalist’s Resource curates, summarizes and contextualizes high-quality research on newsy public policy topics. We are supported by generous grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation, Lumina Foundation, and individual contributors.

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