Essentials of Editorial

An editorial is an article that presents the newspaper's opinion on an issue. It reflects the
majority vote of the editorial board, the governing body of the newspaper made up of
editors and business managers. It is usually unsigned. Much in the same manner of a
lawyer, editorial writers build on an argument and try to persuade readers to think the
same way they do. Editorials are meant to influence public opinion, promote critical
thinking, and sometimes cause people to take action on an issue. In essence, an editorial is
an opinionated news story.
 Opinion vs. Editorial vs. Column
Opinion is meant to supplement the news portion and provide for an exchange of ideas.
There are typically two types of opinion published in a newspaper.

One is “editorial” which are statements made on behalf of the newspaper itself. It is an
expression of the position of the newspaper's editors or editorial board or publisher on an
issue. It's generally written by an editor or member of the editorial board. The tradition has
been to frame the editorial using first person plural, we. Editorials are not generally signed
although there have been some exceptions over the years.

The other type of opinion is called “Op-ed” which stands for “opposite editorial.” It is named
this because it would traditionally appear on the opposite side of the editorial page. Op-ed
includes guest columnists or submitted opinion pieces. A column is written by a columnist,
editor or other select individual on a topic of their choosing. It is the expression of one
person's opinion or viewpoint and is generally written using first person singular or third
person singular. Columns are signed by the author.

Editorial Structure
Editorials have:

1. Introduction, body and conclusion like other news stories

2. An objective explanation of the issue, especially complex issues
3. A timely news angle
4. Opinions from the opposing viewpoint that refute directly the same issues the writer
addresses
5. The opinions of the writer delivered in a professional manner. Good editorials engage
issues, not personalities and refrain from name-calling or other petty tactics of persuasion.
6. Alternative solutions to the problem or issue being criticized. Anyone can gripe about a
problem, but a good editorial should take a pro-active approach to making the situation
better by using constructive criticism and giving solutions.
7. A solid and concise conclusion that powerfully summarizes the writer's opinion. Give it
some punch.
BEGINNING YOUR EDITORIAL
An editorial may start with:
1. A simple statement that gives enough of the situation, problem or news to be
discussed.
2. A question which calls attention to, gives an idea about the problem, or points out the
logical development of the topic.
3. A striking statement which jolts the imagination and arouses the interest of the
reader.
4. A quotation relevant to the subject under discussion.
5. A narrative illustrating the problem or situation.
CHECKING YOUR EDITORIAL
After having written your editorial, check it. The following guides will be helpful to you.
1. Is the form and style appropriate to its content and purpose?
2. Were you able to accomplish your purpose?
3. Is it sincere, such that it will make the reader think?
4. Is it short and direct to the point?
5. Does it hang from a real or an artificial newspeg?
6. Was there no preaching?
7. Is it original and was it written skillfully?
8. Is the writing simple, direct, clear, and forceful?
9. Does it carry a double meaning?
10. Does it reflect clear, logical thinking?
11. Is the subject matter significant to the students, the school, the community, and the
country?
12. Are the sentences and paragraphs comparatively short?

Techniques in Claiming Opinions and Supporting Claims

You’ve been asked to write an opinion about a certain pressing issue. Once you have done
the reading, thinking, discussing, and drafting that help you identify the main point you want
to make about the topic—the central claim of your article—what counts as effective
support for this claim? Here are three accepted ways to support your argument. They can
be used separately or in combination, according to your purpose and audience.
Statistics
Statistics convey information in numerical form, often referred to as data. Statistics are
most accessible and convincing when they are used sparingly and in combination with an
explanation of why the numbers are significant. Remember that even though statistics are
considered factual, numbers can be presented in different ways to suggest dramatically
different conclusions. Pay attention to any conflicting information you find and be sure to
provide the full context of statistical data.
Examples
Appropriate examples can support the writer’s contention that a general statement is true.
Not only do they provide specifics and details in support of a claim, but the vivid description
they often include helps to capture and retain the reader’s attention.
Expert Opinion
Expert opinions are based on factual evidence but differ from fact in that they are
interpretations of fact. For example, psychiatrists determining a criminal’s mental state may
consider the same data set and observation yet offer differing interpretations of this
information. The fate of the criminal—mental hospital versus prison—may depend upon
which argument is more convincing. The fact that experts can draw different conclusions
from the same information shows that opinions may not be as reliable as facts or personal
experience, but they are a useful and common means of supporting an argument. In much
of the argumentative writing you do, you will rely upon the opinions of experts in the field
you are studying both to determine your own perspective and to support your claims.
www.umt.edu/writingcenter

Types of Editorial
1. Editorial of Information – it seeks to give information on facts of news stories or add
other facts with minimum explanation. It may define terms, identify persons or
factors or provide a background.

BAYANIHAN: FILIPINO CULTURAL HERITAGE

The effectiveness of the “bayanihan” spirit was best shown by groups of
students, hundreds of them, as they took to the streets in support of the Metro
Manila clean-up and beautification drive.
The students, coming from different schools in Tondo , pooled themselves
together, cleaned the streets, and beautified them with potted ornamental plants.
This is bayanihan in action.
The bayanihan is an ancient Filipino custom, symbolic of the Filipino way of
group work. As found in the Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala (1745) by P. Juan de
Noceda and P. Pedro de Sncluar, the word bayanihan is derived from the rootword
bayani meaning Obra comun or group work.
Another related word, magpabayani, is a request for help by one who wants a
job done for him, and evokes response from neighbors who come in groups to offer
their services in all forms and their own simple ways. In return, the nagpabayani
 gets free breakfast, lunch or merienda —-a token of appreciation and gratitudes of
the nagpabayani.
Bayanihan is more than help extended to another. It includes all kinds of
assistance; aid, relief, or rescue given free. It may be getting together to pray for a
departed soul, or grouping together for operation linis or operation tulong.
Working together in a spirit of faith, love, and charity is the essence of
bayanihan; that spirits of togetherness that makes the Filipino ditict from other
peoples of the world. It is fine spirit of group work to instill in the young for the
development of proper attitudes towards all forms of team work at home, in school,
and in tha community.
The bayanihan could be a basis for the strengthening and the enriching of our
group life that will evolve a strong unity properly directed towards useful citizenship.

2. Editorial of Interpretation – It explains the significance or meaning of a news event,

current idea, condition, or situation, theory, or hypothesis. The writer doesn’t argue
nor criticize, but merely present both sides of an issue and leaves the judgment to
the reader. It merely interprets, say for example, the content of a new memorandum
issued by the principal.
 A TALE OF HORROR: POPULATION EXPLOSION

Today the Philippines has a population of 80 million. At the present rate of

growth, this small country, would only be most affected by the evil effect of
population explosion.
This means that most of our high school students now, who would only be in their
early 40’s or 50’s at that time, will be the ones to be most affected by the evil effect
of population explosion.

As of today our basic problems are food, water, housing, education, and
pollution. Just imagined how these problems would be aggravated by the 150 million
mouths to feed, backs to clothe, heads to shelter, and minds to educate.
Also today the world has a population of four billions. These will double in 35 years
time. The world population is increasing at the rate of an additional 2,000 million
every eight years.

In six and a half centuries from now, there would be one person standing on
every square foot of land on earth. By that time, men would be no more place for
plants to grow.

The only way to avoid this situation would be through population planning.
The first consequence can be seen in the faces of hungry men. One half of humanity
is hungry at this moment. There is less food per person on earth today than there
was30 years ago during the worldwide depression.

Political chaos is death through world wars, revolutions, aggressions,

rebellions, and the like.

The third and the best remedy is population planning done through family
planning. Family planning simply means the planning of the size and spacing of one’s
family by means of scientific knowledge and method.

3. Editorial of Commendation, Appreciation, or Tribute – It praises, commends, or pays

tribute to a person or organization that has performed some worthwhile projects or
deeds, or accomplishments.
THE GRAND OLD MEN OF CEBU
(Tribute)
 September 9 marks the 106th birthday anniversary of a great man whose un
measurable deeds can never fade but should always live in the memory of every
Filipino. The man was Don Sergio Osmena sr., the Grand old Man of Cebu.
In his lifetime, President Osmena was the light that illuminated our darkened
trail during the first days of the liberation, leading to our national enlightenment and
freedom-the building of our Republic. It was he who continued the fight when his
predecessor, President Quezon, failed to return to his beloved people.
President Osmena, in spite of wealth and power, was one of the humblest
government officials and President that our country has ever had. As a man, he was
real; as a friend, he was indispensable and true; as a leader, he was an example; as
a citizen, he was most patriotic; and as a personality, he was dynamic and virtuous.
All that he was is now a shadow, but that same shadow stands as a standard with
which we can realize our present state of being. Indeed, few are the men who live
the life of Don Sergio Osmena. That our school was named after such a great yet
humble hero is something every Osmenan should be proud of.

4. Editorial of Criticism – It points out the good or the bad features of a problem or
situation mentioned in the news. Its purpose is to influence the reader. It suggests a
solution at the end.

A JUNE 12 THOUGHT: RESPECT FLAG RITES

A flag ceremony, wherever it be a flag raising or a flag retreat is sacred.

Therefore, it should be observed with all the solemnity and sacredness a Filipino
citizen can muster.

The National Anthem (Pambansang awit), like the national flag, should be
treated with ceremonial respect.

On this anniversary of the declaration of Independent in Kawit in 1898 it is

perhaps timely to remind all and to behave during flag ceremonies.

Sad to say, many students during the Monday morning flag raising
ceremonies, instead of standing at attention while singing the National Anthem, and
while reciting the Patriotic Fledge (Panatang Makabayan), move around play and
have completely disregarding what’s going on.
 It is for this reasons that we are calling the attention of all teachers,
especially the social studies teachers to give more emphasis on teaching values,
love of country, respect for the flag, veneration of heroes, and proper behavior
during flag ceremonies
In flag ceremonies cannot be held properly, why then do we hold them at all.

5. Editorial of Argumentation – This is oftentimes called editorial of persuasion. The

editor argues in order to convince or persuade the reader to accept his stand on the
issue.

SCIENCE NOT CONFLICT WITH RELIGION

Can science be reconciled with religion?

This was the argument discussed in the open forum during the science seminar-
workshop held July 18 at the school social hall in observance of National Science and
Technology week.

This statement from the speech of Mr. Ernesto L. Damaso of the National Science
Technology association who said that only truth does not change.

There is no contradiction between science and religion when both are property
understood; what is needed is a proper knowledge of religion and a more scholarly
interpretation of the bible, the Koran, and other similar books, for there can never be a
contradiction between any truth revealed by God in the holy scriptures and any findings of
science, properly tested and verified.

Holy Scriptures of whatever religion are not textbooks of science. Their purpose is
all the same-to inculcate moral, spiritual, and religious truth.
The subject matter of science on the other hand is the physical universe. Its purpose is to
discover the law of nature.

Religion and science move in the essentially different orbits. Religion is concerned
primarily with spiritual realities with moral values, with the intangibles which elude both the
pills and the test tubes; science with matter and energy which can be seen, weighed, and
measured.
Religion has no fear of science. It does not tremble before discussion but before ignorance.
It welcomes with eager hospitality every new finding. Thus further man goes into outer
space, the better vision he has of GOD, and the deeper insight he acquires into the Divine
Administration of the universe.

Scientists are searching for the truth in the field of nature just as the moralists are
seeking to clarify the application of ethereal and eternal truth to the changing social and
economic conditions of modern life.

The church welcomes truth wherever it may be found in history, in Biblical

researchers, in psychological and natural fields of human inquiry. It welcomes every wise
thought and every useful discovery, whatever its origin.

6. Special occasion – it explains the significance of a special day or occasion.

VALENTINE IS..

When some students began decorating their rooms with Valentine trimmings, a critic
asked, “Is it necessary to celebrate Valentines’ Day? Is not a good for nothing occasion like
Christmas?

Contrary to what the critic said, Valentine’s Day is not just a froth and flower
occasion devoid of any meaning at all. It has a distinct place and function in contemporary
life; otherwise its observance would have been dropped after the Vatican had declared St.
Valentine’s Day. To them, the existence of the patron saint is immaterial.

What is important is, that people still believe in the existence of love, love between
lovers, love between children and their elders, love among men, and love between man and
God.

These kinds of love are universal. They are the ties that bind the world together to
keep it from crumbling into hatred and wickedness.
 Writing the Editorial Article
There are several different steps you need to follow in order to be successful when writing
in an editorial format:

Choose a Topic

The topic you choose is the most important part of writing a newspaper editorial. The best
topics are those that are current issues in our society. If the topic is a current issue that
everyone is already interested in then your editorial piece will engage the reader's
attention.

If the topic you choose is an ongoing issue in society, make sure to use the most recent
information. However, you can use older information as sources to help prove your case. Do
not make your editorial a controversial topic, unless that is your whole reason for writing it
in the first place.

Choose Your Opinion

You need to ask yourself if are you for or against the issue you have chosen as your topic
for your newspaper editorial piece. You cannot be on both sides of the fence when writing
an editorial piece. The purpose of the editorial is to give your opinion, the writer's opinion.
With this in mind, you must give a strong, persuasive opinion. If not, readers will not be as
inclined to see your point of view.

Outline Your Editorial

Oh, the dreaded outline. With any type of research paper you have to write an outline. This
is one of the biggest tips on writing a newspaper editorial that you should always follow.
With an outline you know where you stand on the issue. The outline helps you, the writer,
get your thoughts and opinions in order. The outline also helps you discover any swaying of
opinions you may have missed by just diving headfirst into writing.

Write Your Article

The first step to writing your newspaper editorial is to pick a hook that grabs readers'
attention. If you grab their attention from the very beginning they are more inclined to keep
reading. Your opinion on the topic should be addressed in the introduction to your new
editorial.

Newspaper editorials should have at least three arguments. These arguments, of course,
should be backed up with facts and evidence from your research on the topic:

 Use statistics to help prove your argument.

 Make sure your strongest argument is left for last.
 Do not be passive in the arguments that come before the strongest. If this happens
you likely will not have readers reading your entire newspaper editorial.

In a newspaper editorial, and with most anything else you write, your conclusion should
sum up all the information you wrote about. The conclusion should tie your argument
together and give readers a recap of all the facts that you presented in your editorial.

Your conclusion should also have a few solutions you think would help with the issue at
hand. You are getting the reader to engage by asking him or herself questions on how they
stand on a particular issue in our society.

Write an editorial of any type about any of the following topics:

1. Rabiya Mateo Fails to Advance in the Top 10 of 69th Miss Universe

2. Iloilo City to Declare Jam Magno Persona Non Grata
3. Resumption of Cockpit Activities in Antique in March
4. Community Pantry: Trickles New Cases Due to Lack of Social Distancing
5. Distance Education Provides Quality Learning Comparable to Face to Face
Instruction
 Essentials of Sports Writing
This module will teach you the nuts and bolts of writing an effective article,
whether it will be published in a newsletter, on a website or in a media kit.

Sports writing is a form of journalism or creative nonfiction in which a sporting event,

individual athlete, or sports-related issue serves as the dominant subject.

A journalist who reports on sports is a sportswriter (or sports writer).

In his foreword to The Best American Sports Writing 2015, series editor Glenn Stout says
that a "really good" sports story "provides an experience that approaches the book
experience—it takes you from one place you've never been before and by the end leaves
you in another place, changed."

Sports News vs. Sports Feature

Observably all the elements found in news writing – timeliness or immediacy, prominence,
proximity or nearness, oddity, conflict, consequence, human interest, drama, romance or
sex, numbers and others – are also present in sports news. All the rules present in news
writing – especially those on accuracy, brevity and clarity -- virtually apply to sports writing,
too. Sports writing, however, has a greater freedom of style.

Sports feature, on the other hand, tell hidden stories beyond the day-to-day grind of games,
matches and showdowns. These are the stories that go beyond scores and statistics and
are more than news and play-by-play. These stories capture the emotions that flow through
sports: passion and pain, desire and dedication. Capturing these emotions, these feelings
and these stories will take audiences beyond just listening for the score of last night’s
game.
 Jargons in Different Sports Events

Sports Terms

Archery Bolt, Boss, Bowman, Bullseye, Draw, Fistmele, Gungdo,

Nock, Quarrel, Upshot

Athletics Baton, Bell Lap, Cross Country, Decathlon, Discus Throw,

False Start, Field, Foul, Hammer Throw, Heptathlon, High
Jump, Hurdles, Javelin, Lane, Lap, Long Jump, Marathon,
Middle Distance, Photo Finish, Pole Vault, Record, Relay, Shot
Put, Sprint, Starting Blocks, Steeplechase, Track, Track And
Field, Triple Jump

Basketball Common-Foul, Court, Dunk, Free-Throw, Front, Held-Ball,

Layup, Over- Head, Pivot, Rebound, Steal, Technical-Foul,
Under-Head

Badminton Court, Deuce, Double Drop, Dunk, Fault, Feint, Flick, Game,
Layup, Let, Love, Service, Smash

Baseball Ant-Rubber Bunting, Diamond, Home, Out, Pitcher, Put

Strike

Billiards Baulk, Bolting, Break, Cannons, Cue, In Jigger, Leng, Off,

Pot, Scratch

Boxing Hook, Jab, Kidney Knock-Out, Punch, Ring Stoppage

Uppercut
Bridge Diamonds, Dummy, Grand Little Revoke, Ruff, Slam, Tricks,
Trump

Chess Bishop, Castle, Check, Checkmate, Files,Pieces, Gambit,

Pawn, Promote, Rook, Stalemate

Cricket Ashes, Bouncer, Bowling, Bye, Cover-Drive, Cover-Point,

Crease, Drive, Duck, Follow-On, Follow-Through, Glance,
Googly, Gulley, Hattrick, Hit- Wicket, Hook, L.B.W, Late-Cut,
Leg-Break, Leg-Bye, Leg-Spinner, Maiden- Over, No-Ball,
Pitch, Pull, Run, Shot, Silly-Point, Sixer, Stone-Walling, Stroke,
Stumped, Wicket-Keeper, Yorker

Football Baseline, Bick, Comer Defender, Dribble, Foul, Free-Kick, Goal,

Hand-Ball, Hattrick, Head, Left-Out, Move, Off-Side, Off-Side,
Pass, Penalty, Penalty- Kick, Rebound, Right-Out, Sideback,
Stopper, Throw-In,

Golf Bogey, Bunker, Caddie, Caddy, Fore-Some, Hole, Iron, Links,

Nib-Lick, Putt, Stymie, Putting Green, Tee

Hockey Astroturf, Bully, Carried, Carry, Centre-Forward, Corner, Cut,

Dribble, Goal, Half-Back, Hat-Trick, Left-In, Left-Out, Off-Side,
Penalty Penalty- Stroke, Pushin, Scoop, Short-Corner, Stick,
Striking-Circle, Striking-Circle, Sudden-Death, Tie-Breaker,
Under-Cutting, Undercutting

Horse Jockey, Jumping, Place, Protest, Punter, Show Win

Racing
Kho-Kho Chaser, Foul, Out, Pole-By, Runner

Kabaddi Bonus-Line, Corner, Cover, Raid, Tackle

Lawn Ace, Advantage, Back-Hand-Drive, Baseline, Break, Break-

Tennis Point, Deuce, Double-Fault, Drop-Shot, Forehand, Game-
Point, Grandslam, Grass- Court, Net, Netplay, Service, Shot,
Smash, Volley