OPINION AND

EDITORIAL WRITING

OPINION WRITING
The opinion is a piece of writing that
expresses the personal belief of the
writer about timely issues. It is supported
by facts. It regularly appears each issue
under the same title and at the same
location on the page. Opinions are
regular features on the editorial page but
they also appear in the feature page,
science page, sports page and even in
the front page.

Parts of Editorial

1)INTRODUCTION
2)THE BODY
3)THE CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION
-

it is the beginning paragraph.

It may contain the news upon
which the editorial is based.
In which case, the
introduction is called the
news peg. In some cases, the
introduction states outright
the stand of the editorial.

THE LEAD- is also placed in the

introduction to keep the readers
reading on. It can take many forms
as follows:

A simple statement that gives enough of the

situation, problem or news event
A striking statement which arrests the readers
attention
A question with which you can invite attention to
the problem or situation to be discussed
A narrative illustrating the problem or situation

2) THE BODY-It contains the facts about the

news or issues including the writers opinion or
viewpoints. It builds up the case through a logical
order and is supported by facts. It may be made
up of three to four paragraphs.

* Use examples and illustrations

*Quote sources and authorities
* Cite statistics if applicable
* Use formal language
* If you are presenting a number of
arguments to support your stand, start
with the most powerful.

3) CONCLUSION-This is the last part

that either summarizes or drives home
the point. It ties up the ideas and
arguments presented in the body.
The conclusion may be written in the form of:
*A SUGGESTION
e.g. The business sector would do well to evaluate people on the
basis of merit rather than the academic degree.
* A CHALLENGE
e.g. If other schools can develop a culture of excellence, why cant
we?
* ROUNDING UP OR SIMPLE SUMMARY
e.g. The spate of scandals over government deals, characterized by
favoritism and influence peddling, marks the government claims
of transparency. Worse, it undermines the chances of the
Philippines to recover from economic crisis.

Steps in writing opinion:

*Open with a grabber.
*Lay out your thesis in the first paragraph.
* Demonstrate how widely held your opinion is,
* Explain why you and many others feel the way
you do.
* Cite the opinions of experts who agree with you.
*If one exists, include a celebrity angle.
* Make your opinion relate to the experience of
ordinary people.
* Examine the BIG PICTURE.
* Leave a lasting impression by offering a forwardlooking prediction or rhetorical question.

EDITORIAL WRITING
An editorial is an expression of facts and
opinions in concise or an analytical
interpretation of significant and timely
topics or issues. It is logical and pleasing
in order to influence opinion, or to
interpret significant news such that its
importance to the reader will be clear. It is
usually written in formal language.
Through editorial, the paper has the
opportunity to write what it thinks about
issues affecting the readers. If the
editorial is well-written; it can be a vital
force to make changes and reforms.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN
EDITORIAL TO COLUMN AND
OPINION WRITING
Editorial is the collective point of view of
the staff of the paper on a certain issue.
In essence, it is the papers stand on the
issue and the paper represents everyone
in its staff. Hence, no editorial is written
from the first person singular point of
view: I, my, mine. It may take the first
person plural point of view (We, us, ours,
our), the second person and the third
person point of view.

Who writes the Editorial?

The whole staff chooses a topic
based on the news events, discusses
the issue extensively and gathers
and organizes the data. The best
writer in the staff writes the editorial,
seeing to it that the important ideas
of the group are incorporated in the
piece. Therefore the editorial is the
stand of the staff or the paper on a
certain issue.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN
EDITORIAL
* Editorial must be interesting,
compelling and concise.
*Editorial must be factual and
provide pertinent information.
* It must be concise, around 250300 words in four or five
paragraphs.

Types of Editorial
1) EDITORIAL OF INTERPRETATION- it tries
to interpret meaning of news by merely
presenting both sides of an issue, event
or situations and leaves the judgment
to the reader.
2) EDITORIAL CRITICISM-it points out the
faults in the situation mentioned in a
news that concerns and interests
readers. It uses a scientific method by
defining the problem, examining the
evidence available and then perhaps
suggests a solution.

3) EDITORIAL OF ARGUMENTATION OR
PERSUASION- it takes a stand in a
controversial issue and tries to convince
the reader to adopt this stand.
4) EDITORIAL OF COMMENDATION,
COMMENDATION OR TRIBUTE- It gives
praise to a worthy deed done by a
person or by an institution.
5) EDITORIAL OF ENTERTAINMENT- it
discusses issues lightly, but often has a
serious point gently and subtly
suggested and sometimes satirically.
6) CRUSADE EDITORIAL-it usually
endorses a thought or course of action.
This is also called a campaign editorial.

STEPS IN WRITING THE

EDITORIAL

*Choose a very timely topic.

*Be clear about the type of editorial
you ill write and also the purpose.
*Be sure you know and understand the
topic well. Formulate your stand or
position.
* Gather sufficient data.
*Writewritewrite