'Comically inept lede': CNN's intro to article about Kurt Cobain gets epic panning

A CNN story about rumors that police might re-open the case into the death of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain opens this way:

Ugh. RT @BuzzFeedAndrew: pic.twitter.com/nSGSz1EWx7

— Dina Fraioli (@DinaFraioli) March 21, 2014

Oh dear lord. That’s bad. RT @lachlan: Yep, that's the worst Kurt Cobain lede ever written http://t.co/zQ3e0cIYU7

— Dina Fraioli (@DinaFraioli) March 21, 2014

This. Is CNN.

CNN’s intro to the story is now taking a pretty good mocking on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/hickeywsj/status/447108949276651520

GREAT LEDE GUYS, YOUR PULITZER IS ON THE WAY!http://t.co/HmnondyHTn

— Christopher R. Weingarten (@1000TimesYes) March 21, 2014

https://twitter.com/AaronBlakeWP/status/447109418933821440

Behold: The most comically inept lede you will ever read, courtesy of http://t.co/NUVOJaaXM0: http://t.co/8QlXFaZ3dD

— Anthony Crupi (@crupicrupicrupi) March 21, 2014

The article has inspiring some to create their own CNN-style ledes:

"You hang me out to dry," sang Kurt Cobain, who actually did not hang himself, but instead committed suicide by shotgun." #CNNLedes @CNN

— Enchanted Harlot (@darladarko) March 21, 2014

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"Jesus Doesn't Want me for a Sunbeam" Cobain once sang, but 20 years ago Jesus changed his mind after Kurt shot himself. #CNNledes @CNN

— Enchanted Harlot (@darladarko) March 21, 2014

(CNN) – "Something in the way, yeah," must have been wishful thinking. Because nothing was in the way of that shotgun, except Kurt Cobain.

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) March 21, 2014

"Cousins, kissin' cousins," Elvis once sang. It isn't related to this article on Kurt Cobain, but weird, right? #cnnledes

— mick (@swasko) March 21, 2014

In hindsight, CNN should have stuck with talking about the missing jet.