Quick Guide to Writing an Editorial for Students
The purpose of an editorial article is to present an author’s point on a certain issue. Such articles are based on the majority vote from the editorial board, which includes editors and managers. If you want to write an editorial that will present your point properly and resonate with your audience, you should know some basic rules, and college-writers.com is here to help you with some actionable tips.
An editorial piece can have a good impact on your career, especially if your company is a reputable newspaper. However, you should understand what a good editorial looks like, and what its key elements are. You should also think of the possible response from your readers. We hope that this guide will help you create an effective editorial in no time.
An Editorial Essay
Before you start writing an editorial essay, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the concept of an editorial article. Editorial articles present ideas and opinions of a newspaper’s editor. Most often, such articles focus on very important social issues.
Although such articles mostly focus on opinions, it doesn’t mean that they are not based on facts. Moreover, editorial articles have something in common with research papers because an author should research the issue and present evidence that will support his or her opinion. An editorial article should also suggest possible solutions.
An editorial article should speak to different types of audience. On the one hand, it should be intended for people who suffer from the discussed issue and give them some ideas on how the situation can be improved. On the other hand, an editorial article should also be intended for the government, encouraging it to solve the problem and also suggesting some necessary measures.
As you can see, editorial writing is somewhat similar to writing research papers. Once you’ve hot the necessary research material, the writing process becomes interesting and fun.
The Main Components of an Editorial Essay
Explain and interpret
The first thing you should do is to explain how the newspaper covered a certain sensitive or controversial issue.
Criticize
Your goal is to not only criticize actions, decisions, and opinions but also to provide an alternative solution. We also recommend that you provide examples from real life that are familiar to your readers.
Persuade
Offer your solutions. While the previous paragraph should illustrate the issue, this one must encourage your audience to take the right actions.
Praise
Mention people and organizations who do the right thing and who have already contributed to solving the problem. However, you may not include this part if the issue in question is new.
Writing Steps
Although editorials focus on the editor’s opinion and the newspaper’s stance, in general, writing it isn’t a simple task. If you want your readers to take your words seriously, you should clearly understand the difference between a fair and a biased point of view. Don’t use an editorial as an opportunity to spill your anger. Instead, we suggest that you follow these steps:
1. Find a relevant topic
It’s not easy to figure out how to write a good editorial. Every writer knows how important choosing relevant topics is. If you want to write an opinion that will be appreciated by the audience, you should only write about relevant issues. Nobody will want to read your opinion if the topic is irrelevant. Ask yourself, why is your opinion important? Do you need to present any statistical data? Do you need to provide certain facts? Why is your topic important at all? You can write about virtually anything, as long as this issue is relevant and you can present solutions that are actually valuable.
2. Do your research
There are many opinions on any issue and you should pick your side carefully. Even when you see a couple arguing, there is always his side, her side, and the truth. When it comes to important social issues, the situation gets even more complicated so you must be able to find the truth among many different opinions. Do your research and make sure that your point is unbiased.
3. Make sure that your opinion is valid
Your opinion must be valid. It means that you shouldn’t formulate your opinion based on emotions. Support it with facts and present these facts in an understandable manner. You should be able to find persuasive arguments and illustrate them with solid evidence. Coming up with a valid opinion is all about reasoning. Your language should be engaging and clear so that your audience can easily understand why your opinion is right.
4. Write an outline
Once you’ve got nice arguments that support your opinion, write an outline for your story. Decide which paragraphs will focus on statistics and where you will provide quotes. You may also acknowledge the opposite opinions and refute them. All these elements determine the structure of your essay or article so you should plan the structure before writing your paper.
When the outline is ready, start to write, filling every section of your paper with claims and pieces of evidence that support them. If you prepare for the writing process properly, you won’t have any problems creating a well-structured piece of writing.
5. Read your work
Read your paper aloud before submitting it. We recommend that you never skip this last step because you need to check your paper for plagiarism and any mistakes. Reading your text aloud is a great solution because, this way, you will quickly detect sentences that sound awkward and check the overall tone. Make sure that your paper sounds professional. Think about your readers and try to make them relate to your point.
Helpful Tips
Modern technology has introduced numerous challenges for newspapers because the competition constantly grows. Social media makes the situation more complicated than ever, adding the emotional element, which will be a problem if you want to write an editorial. These tips will help you write a nice paper, no matter what topic you’re working on.
- Find a newspaper with more than 100,000 copies
If you want to be a successful writer, you should make sure that you will reach out to as many people as you can. When you find a good paper, choose relevant topics and offer logical solutions. - Choose controversial topics
To write an impressive editorial, you should choose a debatable topic. Controversial issues are a great opportunity for you because they help keep your readers engaged — everyone will continue to read to find out whether you agree with their own position or not, and why. You may also ask your readers relevant questions. - Be honest
You won’t be able to effectively support an opinion if you don’t actually agree with it. Sometimes, you may feel tempted to argue for a certain position just because it can make your essay controversial and engaging. However, we recommend that you be honest with your readers and only choose the right side. This way, your essay will be strong and authentic. - Offer different solutions
If you’re discussing a common problem that many of your readers are familiar with, make sure to provide different solutions. Consider each solution in terms of effectiveness and efficiency so that your readers can choose from among various options and decide which one will work for them.
Interesting Topics
Before you become a writer in a newspaper or magazine, you will have to write many editorial essays in high school. The most common formats of editorial essays are related to current events in the country and the world. Here are some topics that you may choose:
- Global warming and its consequences for the planet;
- Should gambling be legal?
- Causes, symptoms, and treatment of HIV;
- E-cigarettes: are they safe?
- Should marriage to animals be legal?
Conclusion
An editorial should provide the author’s viewpoint, without being too emotional or biased. It must also be informative but not instructive. It should encourage readers to take action without being annoying. It should also be persuasive, well-structured, and based on solid evidence. Last but not least, we recommend that you make it concise.