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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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  • Know Your ResearchTip sheets and explainers to help journalists understand academic research methods, find and recognize high-quality research, investigate scientific misconduct and research errors, and avoid missteps when reporting on new studies and public opinion polls

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Editors’ Picks

Expert Commentary

For journalists who cover immigration, better ICE detention data now available
Criminal Justice, Politics & Government

For journalists who cover immigration, better ICE detention data now available

May 15, 2025

Researchers created a new method to calculate how many people are detained at ICE facilities – and uncovered some hidden population spikes that don’t appear in ICE’s own reports.

Medicaid: A guide to understanding and covering potential cuts to the program
Health, Politics & Government

Medicaid: A guide to understanding and covering potential cuts to the program

April 30, 2025

To help finance trillions of dollars in tax cuts, Congressional Republicans are looking to cut hundreds of billions of dollars in spending, including Medicaid. We provide background, resources and research on the policies under consideration.

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

February 26, 2025

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.

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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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