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J OURNALISM – I NTRODUCTION TO E DITORIALS SWBAT discern what an editorial’s main purposes are.
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T HIS WEEK A reminder that Blog #7 is due before the end of the marking period (Friday) My colleagues on the YMCA Board of Directors and I hope you will help us spread the word about this educational program among your students at White Plains HS who are interested in Journalism. We have an impressive roster of Journalism professionals who will present and teach at this workshop April 25-27, at the beautiful YMCA Conference Center in northwestern New Jersey. This educational weekend in late April will be thoroughly supervised, and staffed with expert YMCA managers, in addition to our workshop faculty.
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P RESENTATION Anyone who has not presented yet from The Book of Questions must do so today.
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E DITORIALS – A N OPINIONATED N EWS S TORY CHARACTERISTICS OF EDITORIAL WRITING An editorial is an article that presents the newspaper's opinion on an issue. It reflects the majority vote of the editorial board, the governing body of the newspaper made up of editors and business managers. It is usually unsigned. Much in the same manner of a lawyer, editorial writers build on an argument and try to persuade readers to think the same way they do. Editorials are meant to influence public opinion, promote critical thinking, and sometimes cause people to take action on an issue. In essence, an editorial is an opinionated news story.
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F OUR T YPES OF E DITORIALS 1. Explain or interpret : Editors often use these editorials to explain the way the newspaper covered a sensitive or controversial subject. 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.
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E DITORIALS HAVE : 1. Introduction, body and conclusion like other news stories 2. An objective explanation of the issue, especially complex issues. (Do your research!) 3. A timely news angle. 4. Opinions from the opposing viewpoint that refute directly the same issues the writer addresses 5. The opinions of the writer delivered in a professional manner. Good editorials engage issues, not personalities and refrain from name- calling or other petty tactics of persuasion. 6. A solid and concise conclusion that powerfully summarizes the writer's opinion.
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O P -E DS V S. E DITORIALS The name “Op-Ed” is derived from “opposite the editorial page.” The Op-Ed pages feature opinion pieces written by outside contributors. In Op-Eds you will often hear writers speaking in the first person. (“I”)
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G ET INTO GROUPS OF FOURS I will hand out different editorials / op-eds. Read one out loud in your group. Discuss with your group what kind of editorial it was. Explain / Interpret Criticize Persuade Praise And….. Was the introduction and conclusion powerful? What evidence supported what the author was saying? Did the author make their case? Is it a timely news article? Did they tell you about the opposing side’s view? Were any solutions offered up if it was critical of something?
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F IND YOUR OWN EDITORIALS Find an editorial or op-ed on-line. Take 5 minutes to read and we’ll report out what we found. What category does it fall into? Explain / Interpret Criticize Persuade Praise
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W HAT ELEMENTS DID EACH ONE HAVE ? Let’s return to the basics of an editorial, and determine what elements each one has that we read. Remember, if you are criticizing something, offer up several solutions!
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T ONIGHT Start brainstorming what topics interest you for writing an editorial on.
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