L e a d :   N a v y    d o c t o r s    a r e MacDonald  is free from the arctic ice pack that threatened to maroon it until next summer. Bridge   (used   as   a   tie-back): Northwind   was  making  the  trip  back from   an   attempt   to   resupply   the research station ice-island T-3 when it began  experiencing  difficulties  in  the polar ice. The ice was so severe the ship lost a blade on its starboard propeller and cracked its hull. Body:  The  relief  ships  punched their way through. . . . Tie-In A tie-in is similar to a tie-back, except it provides information concerning other events that are currently taking place and that supplement the story being written. While the tie-back deals with the past, the tie-in deals with present events. Consider the following example: investigating  an  outbreak  of  17  cases of  scarlet  fever  aboard  the  destroyer USS  Balast,  a   Norfolk-based   ship operating in the Mediterranean. B r i d g e   (used   as   a   tie-in): Meanwhile,  measures  are  being  taken to   prevent   further   outbreaks   of   the disease   on   other   Navy   ships.   Navy personnel have been warned to report to shipboard sick bays immediately if they  find  themselves  suffering  from fever, sore throat or rashes on the neck and upper chest. Body:  The   first   case   of   scarlet fever  was  reported  aboard  the  Balast April  27,  about  three  weeks  after  the ship left Norfolk. Doctors said . . . The tie-in can explain or elaborate on one or more of the summary facts, usually why or how. In writing a summary lead, you may find that it becomes long and unwieldy if you try to include a detailed explanation of why  and  how.  But  if  the  explanation  is  important enough, instead of withholding it until the body of the story,  present  it  in  the  bridge  as  in  the  example  that follows: Summary  Lead:  The  Navy  will . begin replacing its time-tested manila lines July 1 with a synthetic product of modern  progress  —  nylon  rope. Bridge (explaining  “why”):  After months of study and experimentation, the   Ships   Systems   Command   has found  that  nylon  rope  is  superior  to manila line in strength, durability and elasticity. If you have to include the information from these two   sentences   in   your   lead,   it   would   become unnecessarily  long  and  cumbersome.  By  explaining  the why  in  the  bridge,  you  present  the  information  more clearly and make the story more readable. It can provide continuity and a smooth transition from the lead to the body of the story by bringing in one or more secondary, but significant, facts. Note the following example: Lead:  From  now  on,  all  of  the accounting for the Navy’s vast network of ship’s stores will go untouched by human hands. Bridge: CompuNav, an electronic data processing system, will do the job — and do it cheaper too. Body:   The   CompuNav   file computer was unveiled today. . . . The  bridge  in  this  story  is  strictly  a  transitional device that helps close the gap between the lead and the body of the story. Reread these sentences again. Note how  awkward  the  story  would  be  if  the  bridge  were omitted. THE BODY For you to produce a smooth, final story, the lead and body must coincide. The body is the detailed portion of  a  news  story  that  develops  and  explains  the  facts outlined  in  the  lead  (and  in  the  bridge,  if  there  is  a bridge). Here again, the importance of a neatly tailored lead cannot be overemphasized. A cumbersome lead is most often followed by a cumbersome body. But when a lead has done its job, it will usually provide an outline for the orderly organization of facts in the body of the story. To  some  extent  the  organization  of  the  body  is dictated by the material itself —if it is a series of events, for  instance.  So  the  writer  has  to  write  an  orderly, well-organized story and at the same time keep in mind the relative importance of various details. Guided by the idea of news importance, the writer proceeds through the story by selecting the next most 2-17