It coulda had class, and it did: A lede so good it went viral

Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront"

How important is a good lede? This week we’ve learned that if a lede is good enough, it can go viral.

David Knowles wrote a story in the Daily about a lawsuit brought by the estate of Marlon Brando against a Florida retailer that was using the late actor’s name on a line of furniture. Knowles’ one-sentence first paragraph:

“He coulda been a credenza.”

Jim Romenesko of Poynter.org points out the massive Twitter traffic around that lede and talks with Knowles about what the writer says one of his editors called the “Best. Lede. Ever.”