Characteristics of Editorial Writing
Characteristics of Editorial Writing
Characteristics of Editorial Writing
Editorials have:
1. Explain or interpret: Editors often use these editorials to explain the way the
newspaper covered a sensitive or controversial subject. School newspapers may
explain new school rules or a particular student-body effort like a food drive.
2. Criticize: These editorials constructively criticize actions, decisions or situations
while providing solutions to the problem identified. Immediate purpose is to get
readers to see the problem, not the solution.
3. Persuade: Editorials of persuasion aim to immediately see the solution, not the
problem. From the first paragraph, readers will be encouraged to take a specific,
positive action. Political endorsements are good examples of editorials of persuasion.
4. Praise: These editorials commend people and organizations for something done
well. They are not as common as the other three.
Writing an Editorial
1. Pick a significant topic that has a current news angle and would interest readers.
2. Collect information and facts; include objective reporting; do research
3. State your opinion briefly in the fashion of a thesis statement
4. Explain the issue objectively as a reporter would and tell why this situation is
important
5. Give opposing viewpoint first with its quotations and facts
6. Refute (reject) the other side and develop your case using facts, details, figures,
quotations. Pick apart the other side's logic.
7. Concede a point of the opposition — they must have some good points you can
acknowledge that would make you look rational.
8. Repeat key phrases to reinforce an idea into the reader's minds.
9. Give a realistic solution(s) to the problem that goes beyond common knowledge.
Encourage critical thinking and pro-active reaction.
10. Wrap it up in a concluding punch that restates your opening remark (thesis
statement).
11. Keep it to 500 words; make every work count; never use "I"
A Sample Structure
Include the five W's and the H. (Members of Congress, in effort to reduce the budget,
are looking to cut funding from public television. Hearings were held …)
Pull in facts and quotations from the sources which are relevant.
Additional research may be necessary.
As the writer you disagree with these viewpoints. Identify the people (specifically
who oppose you. (Republicans feel that these cuts are necessary; other cable stations
can pick them; only the rich watch public television.)
You can begin your article with transition. (Republicans believe public televison is a
"sandbox for the rich." However, statistics show most people who watch public
television make less than $40,000 per year.)
Pull in other facts and quotations from people who support your position.
Concede a valid point of the opposition which will make you appear rational, one who
has considered all the options (fiscal times are tough, and we can cut some of the funding
for the arts; however, …).
In defense of your position, give reasons from strong to strongest order. (Taking
money away from public television is robbing children of their education …)
Use a literary or cultural allusion that lends to your credibility and perceived intelligence
(We should render unto Caesar that which belongs to him …)
The authors speak to the local governments hoping to motivate them to act.
As you can see, writing an editorial has a lot in common with writing an
essay or research paper. So, in case you were good at writing in your
school, college, or university papers, it would make no problem for you to
come up with any writing piece, including an interesting editorial.
Explain how the chosen newspaper article covers the specific topic. An
argument should be sensitive, debatable, and controversial to attract the
readers. Example: You're a high school newspaper editor who decides to
interpret the recently established writing standards to your peers.
Praise
Read the tips from experts below to better understand what is an editorial
essay.
Tips on Writing Persuasive Editorial Essay
In the age of advanced social media and harsh competition in the writing
industry, people wonder how to write a editorial for a newspaper. Hopefully,
these tips and advice from the industry's expert will help young authors to
master the art.
Read the expert advice which will help to understand how to write an
editorial and what makes this type of paper so special.
"To make your argument sound stronger, come up with several analogies.
The author has a right to decide between cultural, social, and political
analogies because people tend to trust these fields. Example: Your
research problem is the effectiveness of mobile spying applications.
Research similar cases in other technologically advanced countries where
the majority of the population uses such tools to guarantee family's safety.
Writing an editorial always includes finding solutions. Discover how
other countries solved the problem."
Minyvonne Burke, Daily News, US
Example: "TV shows categorized as reality make people lose the sense of
reality. Directors force the audience to believe that all challenges tackled by
the players every day take place in real life, and the consequences are
sometimes adverse. Studies by Dr. Gibson from Michigan University prove
excessive viewing of TV shows belonging to this category result into a
higher level of aggression among the general population of the United
States. These shows should have different rankings to prevent adolescents
from watching them."
You can find more great essay examples along with powerful research
papers on the professional academic writing services. Now, learn how to
write a newspaper editorial step-by-step.
The best idea is to select a debatable social opinion and discuss it from all
possible aspects. Readers are always encouraged to read an editorial from
cover to cover when it has a loud and provoking title; it's another thing to
consider. Writing down all good ideas after the process of brainstorming is
a must.
In the case of any difficulties, you may also count on professional writing
and editing service, which will help to develop and continue the main idea
of your article.
Build an argument around your problem; then, select a headline that draws
reader's attention automatically. You can include an exclamation mark to
attract more attention. You can also put a question mark at the end. When
you come to your main argument, make sure to support it with various
examples or analogies. You might be interested in pointing to negative and
positive aspects of the same issue.
EXTRA PROMPTS:
Apply statistics and facts taken from the primary sources you found
online or in the library to assist in proving your argument.
The most persuasive argument should be left for the end.
Don't be passive in the rest of less powerful arguments; otherwise,
your audience will lose interest to your editorial.
When you were a kid did you ever have to call your mother and the school wouldn't let you? Kids today
still have to call their mothers sometimes! But they school won’t let them! Schools have become much
more strict about the phones even when its an emergency sometimes. So that’s why it would be a great
thing if schools would let us have cell phones in school Cell phones have been an issue in schools ever
since they became a bug thing amongst teenagers. Sixth grader Amber H. says, “There could be an
emergency that no one knows about and there might not be time to reach a phone!” In a lot of schools
teachers take it to far. They take students cell phones even when they aren't using them and they are
turned off and hidden so that they don't disturb anybody. Teachers shouldn't be allowed to take cell
phones when they aren’t even bothering anyone they are put on silent and they are hidden from other
classmates! Just two years ago in October a girl took the case to the Supreme Court! She had had her
cell phone taken away. It was in her backpack turned off not disturbing anyone when the teacher saw it
and took it away and she never had it returned to her! “I wasn’t even using it and the teacher saw it in
my backpack and confiscated it!” I tried to explain that I had to have it for later that day when my
practice was over but she wouldn’t listen!” So many students bring their cell phones to school for
reasons like that! Only to have there teacher confiscate it! Imagine this….. You live in lower Manhattan
and your child goes to school nearby. It’s September 11th, 2001. You are working quietly and suddenly
you hear a loud bang and look out your window to see the North Tower of the twin towers in flames! At
your child's school they have been alerted. Suddenly the intercom comes and the principal’s voice blares
over the speaker, “Students, get out your cell phones and call your parents immediately!” They could
use the school phones but not only is there a line to use the phones the first person finds out the lines
are dead. Sure they could use the cell phones that the very few students brought to school but so many
students using five or six cell phones wouldn’t you think that the battery would die out?! How would a
child reach their parents to tell them that they are ok? They can’t! In emergencies like it is very
important to have a way for a child to reach their parents! Sixth grader Mimi W. says, “We need them in
school because if there was an emergency and we couldn’t use the school phones for one reason or
another we could pull out our cell phones!” Workshop 4, Beasley 2 Write in the Middle Anything can
happen in our world today and having a cell phone with your child at all times could save their life! Cell
phones should be allowed in schools but they’re not! They keep a child in touch with their parents and
are easy to keep up with! They can even save lives! Please let cell phones be allowed in schools!
Editorial: Bullying:
Students
themselves may be
key to solving
problem
Anyone who was bullied as a student – which includes most of us –
remembers that the best defense was always to avoid the bully, if possible. If
you took a different way to class, skipped lunch or darted for the door the
second the bell rang, you might just survive another day without an
embarrassing confrontation.
That’s how students who went to school before the age of the Internet and
social media dealt with bullies. But things have changed and those who
dismiss the issue today, those who say, “I was bullied in school and I turned
out OK,” don’t understand how the world has changed for young people.
In the age of ubiquitous electronic communication, the bully cannot be
avoided. There is no place to hide, no alternate routes to take, no way to stay
out of the bully’s way. In short, no relief.
Social media has left bullying victims with few ways to escape, Andy Hagler,
executive director of the Mental Health Association in Forsyth County, told
the Journal’s Arika Herron. And perhaps because of the nature of social
media, the bullying can be more extreme, leading some students to commit
suicide. Gay and lesbian students are often specifically targeted.
"Nowadays with bullying, it’s more than just the teasing,” Hagler said. “It
has a lot to do with intimidation. It’s not just a rite of passage. It becomes
fear-based.”
Last Wednesday was Unity Day, sponsored by the PACER National Bullying
Prevention Center, an effort to raise awareness and show support for students
who have been bullied. Schools and community groups also gathered for a
Bully Walk on Saturday at BB&T Ballpark.
It’s important that students themselves are getting involved to combat
bullying. They may be the solution because while bullies may seem like
fearless rebels, most often they are troubled and insecure and looking for
acceptance. The last thing they probably want is to be on the outside.
Which brings us to the parents of bullies, and you probably know who you
are. Do your child a big favor and let them know that you also think that
bullies are uncool.
News writing style is just as important for sports reporting as it is for general news,
business stories or any other journalistic work.
The advantage of sports writing is that you are allowed a little it more leeway in your
choice of words. In crime or business writing, you are restricted in your use of adjectives
and adverbs and are encouraged to focus more on nouns and verbs. Sports writing,
however, allows you to go to town in describing plays, the atmosphere, fans and other
colorful aspects of a sporting event.
However, you also have sports articles written without quotes. When rookies learn how to
write like a journalist, especially in sport, they are likely to come across the structure that
we will show you here.
We will adapt the NBA game between Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers on April 1
as our example article.
1. Intro
The most important news aspect of a sports game is the score. Who won? How did they
win and what effect did the victory have? Also important is whether we are writing from a
Boston perspective or Cleveland. In this case, we will go with Cleveland.
“Cleveland Cavaliers lost 98-96 to the Boston Celtics after Delonte West’s sank two free
throws in the final seconds, dropping three and a half games behind the Pistons for the
best record in the Eastern Conference.”
2. More info
The above is enough for those who have a passing interest in the sport. However, NBA
fans would want more information and you could give it to them in one or two paragraphs.
“The Cavaliers were without star player LeBron James, suffering from a knee injury,
while the Celtics were minus Paul Pierce. Gerald Green led the way for Celtics with 25
points while Kendrick Perkins had 12 points and nine rebounds.
The Cavaliers, for whom Larry Hughes scored 24 with Sasha Pavlovic scoring 17, have
already qualified for the play-offs while Boston are out of the running.”
3. Quote
This is where you can provide a quote from the coach or a key player from both teams.
You can precede each saying with a lead-in paragraph or go straight into the quote.
“Celtic forward Al Jefferson, said: ‘They were missing their best player and we were
missing our best play. We just stuck in there.’
Cavs coach Mike Brown said James’ absence was a key factor in their loss.
‘We miss LeBron. We miss LeBron every time he doesn’t play. He’s our guy,’ said
Brown.”
4. The rest
Once you got the main information and key quotes out of the way, you can go on to
describe the game. Even better would be to describe just one or two plays and include
more quotes.
The thinking behind sports articles is that people would have watched the game on TV
anyway and would not want boring game description. Therefore, quotes from the people
who matter, such as athletes and coaches, would offer better reading value.
There are many types of sports news writing that is offered around the world everyday.
We have merely showed you its simplest form. Certainly, it is a rewarding form of news
writing for journalists who love their sport. And the structure they use allow them to adapt
their skills to any type of journalism writing.
Writing about a game or a sporting event is essentially the same as writing a straight
news story. Like straight news, sports stories are written in the inverted pyramid style
(discussed in the previous chapter). The main difference between sports and news
writing is in the lead. A sports lead usually emphasizes the who and how of an event,
while a straight news lead usually emphasizes the who and what.
Like a news story, the lead is normally a onesentence summary of the essential Ws
and H, the bridge links the lead to the body, and the body is written to present facts in
descending order of importance. We will now examine the lead, bridge and body of
sports stories in more detail.
Lead
Sports leads normally use the who and how as the lead emphasis. Leads should
include the who, what, when, where and how. The who may be the teams involved or
the names of key players. The what will normally be the name of the sport, league or
tournament. The when should be the date or day of the event, and the where should be
the location of the event. The how is usually a brief description of how the game or
contest was won and the score.
SUMMARY LEAD. - In a summary lead, the who and how will be the lead emphasis.
The final score should be in the lead and not repeated elsewhere in the story. Many
beginning writers, in an attempt to summarize the game, repeat the score in the body.
This is wrong. If the reader forgets the score, he can easily refer to the lead.
Alvin Gecko's second-half scoring binge led the Pensacola Goshawks to a come-from-
behind 94-93 victory over the Saufley Mole Chickens in Wednesday night's basketball
opener at Tallship Field House.
In this example, the lead emphasis is Alvin Gecko (who) and his scoring binge (how).
This is a classic who and how summary lead, highlighting the key player and how the
game was won. This is the tried-and-true sports lead, and the type all sportswriters
should master.
If Myra Naviete's sprained ankle slowed her down Saturday night, you couldn't prove
it to the Naval Station Miami Pirates.
The speedy forward, who was sidelined three games because of an injury, scored 23
points to lead the Naval Security Group Hialeah Seminoles to a 56-37 victory over the
Pirates in women's basketball action at Milander Gym.
Or:
Ugly.
That's the word coach Thomas Katt used to. describe his Century Dolphins' 88-79
basketball victory over Rainbow Central here Friday night.
(Bridge) "We stunk up the gym," Katt said. "I hate to say it," he added, "but the better
team lost tonight."
Note that these leads emphasize background information and are not one-sentence
summary leads. They still include the essential Ws and H, however. Some newer
journalism textbooks advise sportswriters to write this type of lead and to stay away
from the simple summary lead You may wish to follow this advice as you develop
your sportswriting skills, but first you should master the bread-and-butter summary
lead.
Bridge
Bridges in sports stories serve the same purpose as news story bridges, primarily to
link the lead to the body. Like news story bridges, they are often categorized by the
purposes they serve, easily remembered with the acronym WAITS: W - Ws or H not
answered in the lead are answered in the bridge.
A - Attributes information found in the lead.
T - Ties the story back to a previous story. S - Secondary facts are brought out in the
bridge.
Very often, sports bridges are used to bring out secondary facts that explain the
significance of the game. The bridge might, for example, explain that a loss drops the
team into the losers' bracket in a tournament, that a victory ties the team for the league
lead, that a loss marks the fourth in a row for the team, or any other important
consequence.
The shutout is the first suffered by the Fightin' Giant Lampreys since losing 24-0 to
the USS Greystone in the second game of the 1992 season - 39 games ago.
Or:
The victory extends USS Saufley's winning streak to eight and extends its lead to four
games over the second-place Naval Hospital in the Blue and Gold Division.
Body
Many beginning sportswriters incorrectly write the bodies of their sports stories
chronologically. However, if the key play took place in the fifth inning or the third
quarter, that is where the body should begin. Usually, the key play will be one that
breaks a tie or gives the winning team the go-ahead margin. In baseball, it might be a
four-run inning; in football, it might be a 60-yard touchdown pass; and, in basketball,
it might be two clutch free throws in the final seconds.
Sometimes, the key will be a defensive play. It might be a blocked punt or a diving
catch in the outfield that prevents three runs from scoring. Sometimes, no single play
will stand out. Then it is up to the writer to choose what to highlight. Analyzing
statistics and interviewing coaches or players after the game can help you isolate
turning points in the game.
If a key play happens to be an error, do not be afraid to write about it. Athletes put
themselves in the public eye whenever they take the field, opening themselves to
praise and criticism. If, however, you are writing about youth activities or Little
League game, it is appropriate to avoid mentioning the name of the player who
committed the error. In such cases, attribute the error to the team or position.
MANILA, Philippines – After missing the Arellano Chiefs' NCAA Season 94 campaign
due to an ACL tear in his right knee, Kent Salado seems to be making up for lost time in
Season 95.
The latest proof of this was last Friday, September 20, when Salado put the Chiefs on
his back and carried them to a gutsy 91-86 win over the Perpetual Altas.
Behind the graduating guard, Arellano overcame a seven-point deficit with a 16-1 run
for an eight-point lead.
His heroics did not end there just yet when the Altas came knocking within 2 points as
he drove hard to the basket and dished to Dariel Bayla, who then converted an and-one
play.
With 14 seconds left in the match, Salado once again flaunted his playmaking brilliance
by setting up Justin Arana underneath to keep Perpetual at bay.
The 5-foot-8 playmaker wound up with 18 points, 12 assists, 4 steals, 3 rebounds, and
most importantly, the win that arrested the Chiefs' three-game losing skid.
With his exceptional performance, Salado earned the Chooks-to-Go Collegiate Press
Corps NCAA Player of the Week award.
Salado edged Mapua's Noah Lugo, San Beda's James Canlas, and Lyceum's Jaycee
Marcelino for the weekly recognition given by print and online scribes covering the
country's oldest collegiate league. – Rappler.com