Observations.

It seems that a lot of journalists use big words and long sentences to make their story sound better.

No, no, no.

It doesn't sound better. It just makes it all clunky and disrupts the flow of the story, making me not want to finish reading said story.

And I would like to know the point of the story sooner. Especially if the lead isn't all that enticing to begin with.

It's amazing what you can learn about yourself and your own habits from reading other people's work.