The Question That Almost Wasn't Asked

Holding the bombshell. Saving the last bite of cake. Whatever you call it, read this one to the end.

Here's Andy Netzel's take: My first reaction was: I love it. Wow! I can't believe they waited until the end for that bomb.

Upon further review, though, I wonder how many people actually got there. This story also ran on 1A in the Plain Dealer today, and of the three people I mentioned it to, I was the only one who read the last sentence. These are all people who read most things in the paper everyday. Back when I worked for a Gannett paper, we were constantly reminded that only 10 percent of readers go to the jump pages. I guess I never really wanted to believe that.

Maybe this narrative technique only works on a story about a topic that is otherwise uncovered?

Let's talk about this one. Here's the piece: It was such a girlie question, Marianne Pernold Young wasn't sure she should ask it.

There she was, within touching distance of a very smart Hillary Rodham Clinton at a little New Hampshire coffee shop where a handful of other very smart women had spent an hour asking very smart questions about immigration and national security -- and the only thing she could think to ask, the only thing she really wanted to know: How do you do it?