Editorials

Critical Commentary

   Editorials may be written about something as simple as the need to enjoy the spring weather, or as complicated as reasons why people should vote for a particular candidate, support a cause or protest an event.

   Most editorials occupying the op/ed page of the daily newspaper, but of course these are not the only editorials. Letters to the editor can be considered editorial pieces from the public-at-large. Letters provide the easiest way to break into the newspaper as editors across the nation are curious about what their readers think about a variety of issues.

   The key to any editorial piece rests on putting forth a valid argument based on fact: the more facts you bring into a piece, the more likely it will be published. Nobody wants to read the unsubstantiated opinions of a blowhard.

   An editorial writer must be committed to the reader. As an editor, the writer must be "devoted to the public welfare and to public service," as stated in the "Statement of Principles" of the National Conference of Editorial Writers.

Informing one's community may require a few hours of interviewing knowledgeable sources and reading pertinent documents or it may require days of research to unearth the facts hidden by rumor and commonly held views.

Informing one's community means knowing what the community should know.
Persuading one's community likewise requires research and understanding of the citizens' lifestyle, aspirations and needs.
Criticizing actions, decisions or situations within one's community may not please everyone, especially those in authority. Finding fault should not be done to increase readers or to win a First Amendment award; the editorial writer believes the community's well-being will be better served with another course of action.
Praising an individual or action occurs too seldom. Certainly wise decisions by those in authority, a year without violence or a behind-the-scenes worker deserves 40-60 words of public recognition.
So where can you come up with a relevant idea? The following examples may help:

Listen to different segments of your community
Attend government meetings
Observe changes at the university; how will they affect students?
Read the news

Glynn Wilson and I started the Southerner while working in the doctoral program at the University of Tennessee. He provides some insight into the art of commentary writing.

What Makes Good Writing?

There are 12 factors to look for in writing we like to read:

Creative description of place, using the senses to put the reader at the scene of the story.
Tight, grammatically written prose in the correct style and appropriate tone for the story.
Good writing doesn't talk down to readers.
Authentic, even "cool" language. Interesting words turn readers on.
Good writing is entertaining and sometimes makes you laugh out loud. The use of humor can be effective in the appropriate story, although it is sometimes hard to achieve. Be wary of offensive or tasteless humor.
The active voice, active verbs, are almost always preferable to passive language.
Good writing involves good storytelling, which involves making it clear what the story is about without sounding like a textbook.
Good writing often strives for audience response, appealing to the reader's emotions of happiness, sadness, anger, humor, etc. There is nothing quite like a good "tear jerker."
Good writing starts with research, and even feature stories and opinion columns should strive to include an element of newsworthiness.
Effective reporters and writers are well informed. There is an old saying: "There is nothing new under the sun." As applied to reporting and writing, this means there is no such thing as a story that has never been written before. To excel, a reporter should read as much as possible about the subject he or she is writing about.
Good writing, especially interpretive writing, puts the issue under scrutiny in historical context.
Good writing is in a sense objective writing, even when the object is to argue a point of view. Include the argument for the other side to allow readers to judge the issue for themselves.
In most cases, a good article does not try to answer too many questions at once. A good news or opinion piece explores one idea. It doesn't impose limits. It centers your thoughts and makes your point clear. There are exceptions, such as a complicated science or environmental piece that strives to put related issues in context with each other.

Making an Editorial Argument

Like any example of good writing, an editorial must start with a compelling lead that draws readers into the piece.

Much like a philosophical argument, this can be thought of as a "claim" or "thesis."

Next, the claim should be backed up with evidence.

In some cases, depending on the issue, it might be useful to show the alternative view, or counterargument.

Also like any piece of good writing, the writer must consider who it is being written for, the audience.

In the conclusion of an editorial, it might be appropriate to restate the claim in action terms.

If your purpose is to urge readers to go to the polls and vote, to contact their legislators in support of a bill, or to do something to protect the environment, for example, give the audience a recommended course of action. You might provide them with the necessary cues, like a phone number or address, these days maybe an e-mail address.

Brainstorming and Finding Commentary Ideas

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides citizens and editorial writers the same basic rights to free speech and press. The problem is that no law guarantees that all opinions are well informed or well constructed. Ignorant, disorganized, incoherent or tasteless opinion writing will not be read, and therefore cannot produce the desired result.

The first step in writing opinion pieces and critical or analytical articles is to find ideas to write about. This sounds obvious, but it's not that easy. Maybe you have strong opinions on a number of topics; maybe you don't. In this class, it helps if you hold opinions and harbor the desire to write about them, and the drive to see them in print for others to read.

If you do, great, although holding an opinion is not enough. Here are some basic steps leading to successful writing ideas.

1. Read other newspapers, magazines, books and Web sites and watch for emerging issues or hot topics. It is no mystery why today's editorials flow naturally from yesterday's breaking news. Some topics always seem to make the rounds. What are some issues debated in our society that never seem to drop out of the news? Corruption or ineffeciency in government? Abortion? Gun control? The state of the economy?

2. Listen to people and talk to people, including your friends and roommates, but also student leaders, faculty and the administration. Attend government and social functions. See what people are thinking and talking about. The hottest news is made up of what most members of a community are discussing. What are the issues today in our nation, the city, on campus?

3. Try your ideas out on friends, colleagues, professors, editors. Do they agree the idea would be a good one to write about?

4. Committment to your audience or community should be at the heart of any editorial. You should be familiar with the needs and interests of your prospective audience. What are students interested in or concerned about? Passing, parking, dating, having fun? Or are there more serious underlying issues like the state of world peace, the environment, treatment of the downtrodden in our community and society at large?

5. Editorial writers should be "devoted to the public welfare and to public service," according to the National Conference of Editorial Writers' Statement of Principles.

6. Look around. There are many writing ideas that flow like rain in the swamp from these precepts. Learn to heighten your sense of observation. (Mark Twain)

7. If you get an idea, write it down. Keep a notepad and pen handy.

8. Do some research on the issue.

9. Make an outline. You are now ready to sit down and write.

10. Have something to say: The purpose of interpretive writing is to inform, persuade, criticise or praise. But what about this saying? "If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all." Extra points for the person who can find out who said this first, or who made it famous. I bet it wasn't an editorial writer.

Writing Successful Letters to the Editor

1. Know the paper's or magazine's letters policy. Most employ length requirements. Most want letters typed, although electronic submissions by e-mail are becoming more common all the time. They don't have to be retyped. Most requre you to include your name, address and phone number, even though only a partial identification line is usually published. Many publications will call to confirm you are who you say you are and that you want the letter printed.

If the publication doesn't publish a letters policy, don't hesitate to call. Ask for the address and name of the person to send the letter to, and if there are length restrictions or format preferences.

2. Timeliness matters. You know what they say about yesterday's news. The best chance you have of publishing a letter is to respond to a recent article, editorial or opinion column. It is a good idea to include the headline and date of the article. Read letters to the editor in the paper you plan to write for and notice how they cite previous letters, articles, editorials and columns. Recent news, events, or anniversaries are also fair game.

3. Keep it Simple. Be concise, informative, fair and personal. Make your points clear, brief, and stick to one subject. Three to five paragraphs (200-300 words) is about the optimum length. News space is limited. Short, snappy, even clever letters have the best chance of making it into print. Make your first sentence short, compelling and catchy. Don't be afraid to be direct, engaging, even controversial.

4. Get Personal. Newspapers and magazines are community entities. Editors know their audiences and will be much more likely to publish a letter if it has relevance to the audience. It will also pack a more powerful punch with potential for impact. Former U.S. House Speaker Tip O'Neil is famous for repeating the line, "all politics is local." The same is true for news and commentary. Think about it..

Other Tips & Guidelines

5. Use local statistics.

6. Use personal stories.

7. Use names.

8. Use your credentials. If you have expertise in the area you are writing about, say it.

9. Explain why people should care about this issue. The public needs to know how the issue will impact their lives, the lives of their children and the community. Tell them in a concise and compelling way and you will get their attention, at least those who read the letters to the editor.

As Wilson's shown, you should think about ideas before beginning to write. You can use some of the same form as we discussed for Arts & Entertainment pieces, i.e. a basic 5-point essay. You may choose to write a persuasive speech or editorial. The following pieces provide examples. The first writer, L.D. Umholtz, is my cousin. His article on the differences between students ran in his college's newspaper — this should be encouraging as you, too, can get your material published. My column on television recreating our world appeared in the UALR Forum during the OJ trial.

If you don't understand something in this Web note, please e-mail Dr. Sitton.