POWER TO MOVE

Writing Editorials and Editorial Columns

How important is airing your own opinion?

IMMENSELY!
 Would you agree with me on this?

THE SCARIEST TIME

TO AIR AN OPINION IS
NOW !
 Expressing your
own opinion
Why speak up?

• It makes you aware of your own thoughts.

It is a great way to take responsibility for
your thoughts, too.
• It brings out your inner self-confidence.
• It opens your way to new experiences.

Power to Move 2020

Op-Ed : (Opinion + Editorial)
Op-Ed Writers should have a point of view unlike traditional
new writers. They use facts to persuade people to change their
minds, or to confirm their opinions, or to get people to do something
or to stop doing something.

People need not just facts for

verification, but also for
enlightenment (Moreno, 2020).
How to begin?
Bear in mind that an
Editorial Proper is a
collective opinion of the
entire editorial board
and staff.
 1. Choose a topic.
Pro or Con?
Choose only one. Never neutral.

• Narrow down your

Pro tip: List all the area of interest as
much as possible.
information that you know
• Choose your side.
regarding the topic on
both sides.
Make an outline so you
could have an overview of
your work.
2. Declare your
agenda outright.
THESIS STATEMENT
is the claim that
An editorial without practically guides and
an unequivocal
opinion is bound to
gives you direction and
fail flat on its face. sense of the editorial
Use clear
terms in Original Subject: an important issue in our
defining your school
agenda.
Focused Topic: school policies on disaster-
preparedness
Thesis: Schools need more reliable and valid
assessment tools which can evaluate a
school’s overall safety posture in order to
generate a tailored action plan.
2. Declare your
agenda outright. INTRODUCTION
(SITUATION + POSITION)

An editorial without SITUATION

an equivocal
opinion is bound to +
fail flat on its face. THESIS STATEMENT
Use clear
terms in
defining your SITUATION: A new bill in the United States will
agenda. mandate to replace textbooks with tablets in
schools all over the country.

THESIS STATEMENT: The passing of the new bill

mandating to replace textbooks with tablets will
be beneficial since it poses little disadvantages.
 ISSUE: Tablets should replace
3. Build an
argument. textbooks in the classroom

A good editorial
expresses point of view. Argument 2: Tablets cost 50%-60%
A great one persuades
others to join the less than textbooks. According to the
camp.
FCC, the U.S. spends about $7 billion
Use facts, statistics, per year on textbooks, but many of
quotations from
credible people, them are seven to ten years out of
theoretical
explanations for date. Advocates believe using tablets
criticizing the
opposition.
instead will save money and improve
learning.
 ISSUE: Tablets should replace
3. Build an
argument. textbooks in the classroom

A good editorial Argument 3: Practically speaking, tablets are

expresses point of view. lighter than textbooks, as well. Between studying,
A great one persuades
others to join the
homework, and extracurricular activities, going
camp. back to school may make kids feel like they have
the weight of the world on their shoulders. And
Use facts, statistics, sometimes, they literally do. After you pile a lunch,
quotations from school supplies, binders and textbooks—which
credible people,
theoretical typically weigh 3.5 lbs each—into your child’s
explanations for backpack, the load he or she is lugging around
criticizing the could be huge … and potentially dangerous.
opposition.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission, at least 14,000 children are treated
for backpack-related injuries every year.
 ISSUE: Tablets should replace
3. Build an
argument. textbooks in the classroom

A good editorial Counterargument: Tablets use, however, cause too

expresses point of view. many distractions in the classroom as consistent
A great one persuades
others to join the
finding across several studies show that the iPad
camp. could potentially be a distraction as it is
associated more with entertainment than
Use facts, statistics, education. The ability to connect to the Internet is
quotations from another big potential source of temptation away
credible people,
theoretical from the learning job in hand. Multitasking is
explanations for highly prevalent with screen technology, and
criticizing the evidence is clear that multitasking during study or
opposition.
learning hinders academic performance.
 ISSUE: Tablets should replace
3. Build an
argument. textbooks in the classroom

A good editorial Refute the Counterargument:

expresses point of view.
A great one persuades There’s a reason that students are so
others to join the
camp. often distracted by their digital devices:
they’re interesting. But who’s to say
Use facts, statistics,
quotations from learning outside the device can’t be just
credible people, as compelling? Engage students with
theoretical
explanations for projects that challenge them and give
criticizing the
opposition.
them creative autonomy.
ISSUE: Tablets should replace 4. Use analogies
textbooks in the classroom in your
arguments.
Analogy:
An explorative study in Belgium shows Nothing disarms
your opponents
that the use of tablets in the classroom better than cultural,
setting has an impact on both teaching social, or political
analogies.
and learning practices. The results of this
study indicated that the policymakers
should consider introducing technical
and pedagogical support in order to
understand the full potential of this kind
of technology in education.
 3. Build an
argument.

BODY
(EVIDENCES) 4. Use analogies
in your
arguments.
5. End with a ISSUE: Tablets should replace
powerful textbooks in the classroom
conclusion
which encloses
with a powerful Significantly, the passing of the bill will
call to action. potentially have a positive impact not
only on the classroom performance of
Provide better vision of the learners, but to other aspects, as
the future.
well. It is, therefore, reasonable for
school policymakers to review their
current curriculum in order to
accommodate this kind of technology in
education.
5. End with a
powerful
conclusion
which encloses

CONCLUSION
with a powerful
call to action.
CONCLUSION + SOLUTION
Provide better vision of
the future.
6. Provide an
interesting and
compelling title

Down with PRESStitution

DISAGREEculture
Call to action
Vanguard of opaqueness
(Philstar on government officials’ SALN)
S ITUATION
P OSITION
E VIDENCES
C ONCLUSION
S OLUTION
 As a collective group, the newspaper management
makes a determination about forming an opinion about Editorial Proper
issues in the community.

Editorial Column These are generally written by staff members of the

newspaper. It is their personal opinion about issues.
EDITORIAL PROPER EDITORIAL COLUMN

COLUMN NAME

BY-LINE
WRITER’S PICTURE
COLUMN TITLE
Notable differences:
POINT OF VIEW TOPIC APPEARANCE FUNCTION

PROPER: Always PROPER: current PROPER: Does PROPER: Opinion

WE never I. issues not have a by-line of the body
COLUMN: COLUMN: diverse -Usually set COLUMN: can
Personal Focused subject separately take the function
Me, myself, and I matter COLUMN: with of news, opinion,
writer’s photo, or feature
Ex. religion, by-line, column
medicine, etc. name