On our Spectrum of Credibility, we now move even further from the "Purely Personal" pole to emphasize more importantly than ever the need for fact-based opinion. Grounding our writing in facts and figures is crucial when tackling serious subjects, from gun regulation to gay marriage to so-called hydraulic fracking.
That will be the aim of our final two assignments: an editorial and a column.
For the sake of modeling, for getting a feel for how editorials are structured and how they "sound" in the ear, please peruse some of the writings at the links below:
The New York Times editorial page: It's here.
The News & Observer editorial page: It's here.
Technician editorial page: It's here.
The first thing you should notice: They are short. A traditional editorial is about 400 words (longer for complicated subjects). That will be an important graded part of this assignment. You will write 400 words — no more, no less. Exactly 400 words.
Learning to write to pre-set lengths is critical. In both news and P.R. settings, you often will be called on to write something that fits a template or formatted design. So length is an important pedagogical part of this assignment.
The other crucial part of this assignment is to write more persuasively by taking yourself completely out of the story. No first-person I. An editorial is not about what you think or feel about an issue. It is about arguing one side of the issue or the other and using facts to build an argument for that position.
Assignment: Pick a serious issue. Do online research. Pick a side. And make your case — in 400 words.
Deadline: One week.
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