Opinion Pieces Versus News Stories

By Ethan Bruemmer, September 23, 2021

A news story is something that is based on the facts of an issue, and tries to report the objective truth the best that it can. Stories such as this can be quite interesting and intriguing, but they can also be quite tedious to read, and ineffective. A news story is something that is based on the facts of an issue, and tries to report the objective truth the best that it can. Stories such as this can be quite interesting and intriguing, but they can also be quite tedious to read, and ineffective. Sometimes there is an issue that requires more attention and intrigue, while also properly stressing the importance of the issue. This is where the opinion piece comes into play and should be utilized. An opinion piece is something that can mobilize your readers, it is something that appeals more to the reader, and it is often more popular than a normal news story (Wyss 2019 pp. 68-171). News stories can often be disconnected from the readers, be too dry, or sound pompous. Opinion pieces are usually the most popular part of a newspaper, and they can also be blog posts, or present in columns (Wyss 2019 pp.168). 

Now that we know what an opinion piece is we can look at what goes into writing one. First, make sure you have the credentials and qualifications to write on the topic (Tapia 2020). People need to be able to trust your opinion when you go beyond just the facts. In addition, using trustworthy sources in your articles with credit given to them, will also put weight behind one’s opinions (Tapia 2020). In general, good opinion articles also need “to be tight and concise” and around 750 words (Wyss 2019 pp.175). To be successful an editorial needs to also point out the facts, but also make sure they put meaning behind them, allowing the reader to care (Wyss 2019 pp. 172). Most importantly an opinion piece needs to bridge two distinct groups, “the opinion leaders and the average reader,” as well as the opposition to the issue. One has to make sure they do not only write in a way that appeals to people that agree with you but also to the average reader that might know nothing about the issue, and the opposition that disagrees with you. 

In terms of environment journalism, the most influential form of opinion pieces has to be the Op-Ed created by John Oakes, and the editorial campaign. The Op-Ed refers to opposite the editorial page, and is written in order to portray an opinion about an issue that pushes the author’s agenda further and tries to bring up discussion on the issue (Tapia 2020). It can be accompanied or even written by someone outside of the organization who is an expert on the issue and is qualified to have an opinion (Tapia 2020). An editorial campaign is utilized by a newspaper in order to mobilize or influence a government official’s/agency’s decision, or put pressure on a company that is hurting the environment (Wyss 2019 pp.170-171). An example of an editorial campaign was Joseph Pulitzer II’s campaign, which was the first environmental editorial campaign in 1940 that led to major changes in how companies produce smoke, and it won the Pulitzer Prize.

One example of an Op-Ed is: “The richest 10% produce half of greenhouse gas emissions. They should pay to fix the climate” by Lucas Chancel from The Guardian. This article is one that is very opinionated in how the issue of climate change is one that is mainly caused by the rich and should in turn be paid for by the rich. However, despite it being an opinion it still follows good journalism by being transparent of his biases, stating accurate facts, being open about where he got the information, it involves passion on the subject, and it is thorough in backing itself up.

References:

Wyss B. 2018. Covering the Environment: How Journalists Work the Green Beat. Taylor and Francis Group.

Tapia, A. 2020. What Is an Op-Ed Article? The Balance Small Business.

Chancel, Lucas. “The richest 10% produce half of greenhouse gas emissions. They should pay to fix the climate.” The Guardian.

This story was updated on 12/8/2021. The primary changes include adding an example of an op-ed from the guardian, and moving my third paragraph to be my second one.