Editorial

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Template:Split-apart Template:Wiktionarypar2 An editorial is a phrase or article by a news organization newspaper or magazine that expresses the opinion of the editor, editorial board, or publisher. An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite editorial due to the tradition of newspapers placing such materials on the page opposite the editorial page, is similar in form and content to an editorial, but represents the opinion of an individual contributor, who is sometimes but not always affiliated with the publication. These two terms are sometimes used interchangeably by the public, although it is important to understand that they have different definitions and characteristics.

While standard editorial pages have been printed by newspapers for many centuries, the first modern op-ed page is generally attributed to the New York Times, which initiated its page on September 21, 1970, under editorial page editor John B. Oakes. Oakes had argued for the page's creation for ten years; when it appeared it instantly became one of the paper's most popular features. At the time, Oakes wrote that his motive in creating the page was to provide a forum for non-Times employees to have their say.

Contents

[edit] Editorial boards

The editorial board is a group of editors, usually at a print publication, who dictate the tone and direction that the publication's editorials will take. In much of the English-speaking world, editorials are typically not written by the regular reporters of the news organization, but are instead collectively authored by a group of individuals and published without bylines. In fact, most major newspapers have a strict policy of keeping "editorial" and "news" staffs separate.[1]

In the United Kingdom opinion articles are often referred to as "leading articles" or "leaders."

The editorial board of a newspaper will regularly convene to discuss and assign editorial tasks. If editorials are written by the board, then they generally represent the newspaper's official positions on the issues. Often however, there exist also one or more regular opinion columnists who present their own point of view. Most newspapers also utilize nationally syndicated columnists to supplement the content of their own opinion pages.

[edit] Editorial guidelines

Editorials are generally printed either on their own page of a newspaper or in a clearly marked-off column, and are always labeled as editorials (to avoid confusion with news coverage). They often address current events or public controversies.

Generally, editorials fall into four broad types: news, policy, social, and special. When covering controversial topics such as election issues, some opinion page editors will run "dueling" editorials, with each staking out a respective side of the issue.

Many magazines also feature editorials, mainly by the editor or publisher of the publication. Additionally, most print publications feature an editorial, or letter from the editor, followed by a Letters to the Editor section. The American Society of Magazine Editors has developed a list of editorial guidelines, to which a majority of magazine editors commonly adhere.[2]

[edit] Differences

The editorial page contains editorials written by a member of the news organization and the opinion page contains opinion columns and sometimes editorial cartoons:

  • Editorials are (usually short) opinion pieces, written by members of the editorial board of the paper. They reflect the stance of the paper and, in English-language papers, usually do not have bylines.
  • The opinions expressed on op-ed (opposite editorial) pages reflect those of the individual authors, not the paper. The articles have bylines and are written by individual free-lance writers, guest opinion writers, syndicated columnists, or a regular columnist of the paper.

[edit] Structure of editorials

Template:Cleanup The editorial page of a newspaper is not about news, but rather views. Articles appearing on a newspaper's editorial pages represent the views of the newspaper's editor and/or editorial board. Many print publications feature an editorial or 'letter from the editor' which is followed by 'letters to the editor' section where members of the public write in with comments on the editorials or articles in that publication. People write in from all over the world and a letter written by a person residing in Mumbai, for example, will go to the publication in Mumbai to which he’s written.

It is generally felt that the content of editorials should carry a message strong enough to do away with the need for, and the distraction of, additional photos or pictures associated with the opinion expressed.

Most editorial pieces take the form of an essay or thesis, using arguments to promote a point of view. Newspapers often publish editorial pieces that are in line with their editorial slants, though dissenting opinions are often given space to promote balance and discussion. Requirements for article length varies according to each publication's guidelines, as do a number of other factors such as style and topic. An average editorial is 750 words or fewer.

[edit] Leading editorial pages

[edit] United States

Perhaps the most prominent editorial page is that of the New York Times, which features the contributions of such journalists as Maureen Dowd, Thomas Friedman, Paul Krugman, Frank Rich, David Brooks, Bob Herbert, and Nicholas D. Kristof.

The Wall Street Journal has long been among the country's most influential conservative editorial page. Under the longtime leadership of Robert L. Bartley from 1971 to 2001, the page won a number of Pulitzer Prizes. It is now edited by Paul Gigot. It also publishes the online site, Opinion Journal.

The Washington Post opinion page[3] features opinion columnists Charles Krauthammer, David Ignatius, and E. J. Dionne among others.

[edit] Regional

Prominent regional editorial pages include:

[edit] Leading magazine editorial pages

Prominent magazine editorial pages include: The New Yorker, The Economist, Playboy, National Review, The Weekly Standard, The Nation, Newsweek, The New Republic, and U.S. News.

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (January 2007)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp?
  2. ^ http://www.magazine.org/editorial/guidelines/
  3. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinions/index.html
  4. ^ http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/
  5. ^ http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/
  6. ^ http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/
  7. ^ http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion/
  8. ^ http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/?p1=GoToNews_Opinion
  9. ^ http://www.nysun.com/editorials_opinion.php

[edit] External links

de:Editorial es:Editorial periodístico gl:Conductor ia:Editorial it:Editoriale ja:社説 he:מאמר המערכת uz:Op-ed pt:Editorial sv:Ledarsida zh:社论

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