Time: As The Next Archbishop of Canterbury, Can Justin Welby Save The Anglican Communion?

This article takes an interesting approach to a straight news piece.

Instead of simply telling the story of Justin Welby’s recent appointment to to be the head of the Church of England, the journalist, London-based correspondent Megan Gibson, describes his past and what brought him to the position and highlights some of the struggles he may have. She also manages to stay away from a dry and predictable biographical piece by including some color in her language.

Gibson’s lead was especially enticing. Judging by the headline this is a story I, for personal reasons, would have probably overlooked. But Time included a taste of the lead and it sparked my curiosity.

It’s a familiar story of privilege in Britain: a well-connected man receives a top-notch, prestigious education before making his name in the high-paying business sector and is eventually selected to fill one of the most prominent roles in British society. But this version of the story has a twist: the man in question, Justin Welby, quit the life of a business executive in 1987 and became a village parish priest in the Church of England instead—and in remarkably short order has risen to be on the verge of being officially named the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of 80 million Anglicans around the world.

I think this piece is a good example of covering all angles for a straight news story while interjecting color and descriptive language. Read it here.