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Expert Commentary

Breaking-news leads

by Leighton Walter Kille | April 29, 2009

PoynterOnline’s Chip Scanlan on the history of the classic structure for hard-news stories.

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

What does the removal of the 'protected areas' policy mean for hospitals?
Health, Politics & Government

What does the removal of the ‘protected areas’ policy mean for hospitals?

May 21, 2025

Medical and legal experts have issued detailed guidelines on responding to the removal of a policy that protected health care facilities from immigration enforcement activities. The information helps journalists to report on their local hospitals and empower patients to know their rights.

A journalist's guide to the climate risk data market
Economics, Environment

A journalist’s guide to the climate risk data market

May 20, 2025

Over the past decade, there’s been a proliferation of private firms offering highly detailed climate risk assessments for sale. Here’s what journalists need to know about this burgeoning market — plus, six big questions they should ask.

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.

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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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