News editorials are opinion pieces that share a writer’s views about current events, promote critical thinking and inspire people to take action. Editorials differ from traditional news articles primarily in purpose and presentation. They express opinions and persuade readers to agree or disagree with a specific viewpoint using reasoning, analysis and rhetorical strategies. When effective, editorials can have a powerful influence on public discourse and political decision-making.
Editors of journals often write editorials to highlight connections between articles in the journal, address significant cultural, social or economic developments of relevance to the academic discipline and offer perspectives about hot topics or issues. Journal editors may also invite experts in a field to write an editorial on an issue of particular significance to the readers of the journal.
Typically, editorials fall into one of four categories: 1. Explain or interpret. These editorials present an overview of news events, such as a school newspaper describing new rules or a student-body effort like a food drive. 2. Criticism editorials constructively criticize actions, decisions or situations and strive to influence reader opinions and inspire solutions. 3. Praise editorials compliment people or organizations for their work and recognition. 4. Persuasion editorials aim to persuade the audience to see things the writer’s way, influencing opinion and inspiring action.
Choose your topic carefully and clearly define the scope of your article. Then, focus on a single argument that makes your opinion about the topic compelling to the readers. Then, support your argument with facts, details, figures and quotes. Be respectful of the other side’s point of view, and don’t use petty persuasion tactics. Lastly, conclude your editorial with a solid and concise paragraph that powerfully summarizes your opinion.