[RoosterRedux]

I am sure you have noticed that so many articles today do not follow that command.

I was taught that the title and gist of the article had to be explained/given in the first paragraph. And all that followed was mere expansion and detail.

Suspense required technique.

Not so today.

I suspect it comes from contracts between writer and publisher for a minimum number of words.

And it also might come from the lack of editors at online publishers.

[IronJack]

No, it comes from the sensationalization of the "news" and the attempt to make every story a gripper, whether there's any substance there or not. So the ledes are either cutesy, melodramatic, or insipidly lacking in detail, all to drive you deeper into the copy.

Editors found out some time ago that readers were basically just scanning the headlines and reading the ledes. You know, kinda like what happens on FR. ;)