THE EDITORIAL

What is an editorial?

The editorial is the thought of an

institution testifying before the bar
of public opinion; the editorial is also
the presentation of fact and opinion
that interprets significant news and
influences public thoughts.
What is an editorial?

The editorial serves as the official

view of the paper, reflecting the
opinions of many sides of an issue.
Editorial vs Column

The basic difference between an

editorial and a column is that the
editorial expresses the newspaper’s
views, while the column contains
those of the columnist.
Editorial vs Column: Similarities

Both depend on verifiable

information for their conclusions.
Both must be logical and reasonably
argued.
Both appear regularly: the editorial
whenever the newspaper is
published and the column during
specified days.
Editorial vs Column: Differences

The column may be written by a

staff member, by someone tasked
specifically for that purpose.
The editorial is written by whoever is
assigned by the editor-in-chief or the
op-ed page editor to do so.
Editorial vs Column: Differences

The editorial, if and when it is ever

necessary to refer to the entity whose
views it is expressing, uses the pronoun
“we”, never “I.”
The columnist can use the first person “I”.
Seldom does a columnist say “we” to refer
to himself or herself.
Editorial vs Column: Differences

The editorial is not signed.

The column is signed by the
individual who writes it.
A staff member who is a regular
employee of the newspaper writes
the editorial.
Editorial vs Column: Differences

The editorial may be written by the

editor-in-chief if he or she wants to, by
a senior editor, or by several editors
and/or staff members on a rotational
basis.
The same columnist writes the column
each time it appears.
Types of Editorials

Editorials of argument and

persuasion take a firm stand on a
problem or condition. They attempt
to persuade the reader to think the
same way. This editorial often
proposes a solution or advises taking
some definite action.
Editorial of
argument and
persuasion
Types of Editorials

Editorials of information and

interpretation attempt to explain the
meaning or significance of a
situation or news event. There is a
wide variety of editorials in this
category, ranging from those which
provide background information to
those which identify issues.
Editorial of
information and
interpretation
Types of Editorials

Editorials of tribute, appreciation or

commendation praise a person or an
activity.
Editorial of
tribute,
appreciation or
commendation.
Types of Editorials

Editorials of entertainment have two

categories. One is the short
humorous treatment of a light topic.
The second is a slightly satirical
treatment of a serious subject.
(Satire is the use of sarcasm or keen
wit to denounce abuses or follies.)
 Titulo

Mabuti pa si Renato
Meron ng Corona
Sagana pa sa titulo.
May titulo sa midnight appointment
May titulo sa pagkatuta

Editorial of May titulo sa Ph.d

May titulo sa Bellagio

entertainment May titulo sa Burgundy

May titulo sa La Vista
May titulo sa McKinley
May titulo sa The Ayala Column
May titulo sa Spanish Bay Tower.
Kaming taga Hacienda Luisita
Kaming taga Brgy.Corazon de Jesus
Kaming taga Compostella Valley
Kaming tagahanga ni Katy Perry
Kaming extra sa The Bourne Legacy.
Tulirong napatunganga
Naglaway sa wala.

Ed Nelson R. Labao
30 Enero 2012
Choosing a Subject

Whether editorial or column, in

theory there is no limit to what could
be the subjects of opinion pieces.
Choosing a Subject

Editorials, however, have a wider

latitude in this respect. They may be
about an issue currently in the
news, the anniversary of an event,
the changing of the seasons, or a
subject the newspaper wants its
readers to focus attention on.
Choosing a Subject

The subject of an editorial can be on

politics, the environment, the
economy, culture and the arts,
independence day, Christmas, or a
looming energy crisis.
The columnist does not have the
same latitude of choice as far as
subjects are concerned.
Choosing a Subject

Opinion columns usually have a

specific focus: politics, business, the
environment, sports, etc. A political
column, for example, can’t be about
the changing of the seasons unless it
has some bearing on politics.
The Editorial Writer

Keep up with the news, and be well-

informed on a day-to-day basis.
Be ready to undertake research if he
or she is unfamiliar with the subject
or is not sufficiently informed about
it.
The Editorial Writer

Research should not only be in the

newspaper’s own library but in other
document sources as well, or the
Internet.
It may also be necessary to conduct
interviews with persons in a position
to provide additional information.
Writing the Editorial

The process involved in writing an

editorial is the same as in any other
composition.
Writing the Editorial

The assignment, or choice of the

topic.
Research.
Evaluating the information thus far
gathered.
Writing the Editorial

Deciding what the main point of the

editorial will be
Organizing the material to support
that point.
Writing the Editorial

Designing the presentation. The

editorial writer may choose to
make an outline to guide his or
her writing.
Writing.
Revising.
Writing the Editorial

In other words, plan before you

write.
“My working habits are simple: long
periods of thinking, short periods
of writing.” – Ernest Hemingway
Parts of an Editorial

An introduction, in which the

writer reminds readers about the
event on which one is commenting.
Parts of an Editorial

A body, in which the writer argues

for or against the proposal or
suggestion.
Parts of an Editorial

A conclusion, in which the

newspaper’s position is stated.
Sample Editorial
 The right thing to do at the wrong time?

Finally, the city government has announced that Mayor

Benjamin Lim is now ready to implement the
recommendations of the University of the Philippines
Center for Local and Regional Governance (UP-CLRG)
for a top-to-bottom revamp of the city government to make
it more efficient and effective in the delivery of services to
An introduction the people of Dagupan City.

in which the Three years ago, the UP-CLRG found in a management

evaluation that the city government was totally
writer reminds disorganized and inadequate in responding to the needs
of the people and the demands of public service. It
readers about the suggested the adoption of a lean and mean organizational
structure that would clearly define each office’s functions
event on which and responsibilities and save the city from wasting
millions of pesos of the people’s money every year just to
one is pay the salaries of employees who just sit in their offices
all day and wait for the sunset.
commenting Why Lim delayed the implementation of the UP study--
which by the way, cost the city government almost half a
million pesos-- is still not clear to this day. And no one,
including the city councilors who are supposed to be the
people’s eyes and ears and voice in the city government,
has bothered to ask why. All we have heard are
speculations that Lim may have temporarily shelved the
study so he could keep the support of city government
personnel for his reelection bid last May.
 In finally deciding now to implement the UP
recommendations, Lim may have simply realized that
continuing with the present city government set -up will do
him more harm than good, personally and politically, in the
long run. Not only once or twice, but many times in the
past, has his attention been called to the organizational
confusion at city hall and the undeserved discourtesies
that ordinary people get from some overbearing city hall
A section in employees. If this continues, Lim knows that his political
survival is imperiled and his reputation as a corporate
manager, being the owner and chief executive officer of a
which the supermarket chain in the province and having been at one
time the general manager of Duty Free Philippines, is at
writer argues stake.

for or against The local media, too, have been very nosy and noisy
about this.
the proposal or While many Dagupeños welcome the city government
revamp, there are still those who question the necessity
suggestion. and sincerity of the revamp and see it as mere witch-
hunting – a desperate ploy to purge the city government
of employees who did not support Lim in the last
elections-- more than a desire to rid the city’s bureaucracy
of deadwood ( this word never takes an “s”) and non-
performers. This perception has been bolstered by a city
official’s pronouncement that in the implementation of the
UP recommendations, all city government positions will be
declared vacant, in obvious defiance of the Civil Service
rule on the security of tenure.
 Still, there are others who believe that Lim is doing the
right thing but at the wrong time. As a consequence of
the revamp, almost 300 emergency workers will be the
first to go. These include street sweepers, garbage
collectors and traffic aides. The work that they will be
A section in leaving will be offered on a take-it-or-leave-it basis to
excess permanent employees from the different city
which the government offices. And in the face of a financial crisis
writer argues that is gripping the country now, this is not the right time
for anyone to lose a job.
for or against Meanwhile, city government employees have adopted a
the proposal or wait-and-see attitude and have kept their plans to
themselves. But what is likely is that they will not take the
suggestion. revamp sitting down, or just watch from the sidelines
once the purge begins.
 But whatever Lim’s motives may be – political self-
preservation or a sincere desire to serve – the city hall
reorganization is long overdue. It certainly took him a lot
of courage and political will to arrive at this decision.

A concluding Implemented properly, the revamp should be the first

step in the installation of a truly professional
section, in bureaucracy in Dagupan City, where employees no
which the longer have a false sense of security and the public is
fully satisfied with the services they get.
newspaper’s
position is
stated.