Editorial
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225754661
2008-07-15T06:50:46Z
Alan Liefting
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split out [[Op-ed]]
{{globalize/USA|date=May 2008}}
{{Refimprovesect|date=January 2008}}
{{Wiktionary}}
An '''editorial''', '''leader''' (UK), or '''leading article''' (UK) is an article in a [[newspaper]] or [[magazine]] that expresses the opinion of the [[editor]], [[editorial board]], or [[publisher]].
==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 [[reporter]]s of the [[news]] organization, but are instead collectively authored by a group of individuals and published without [[byline]]s. In fact, most major newspapers have a strict policy of keeping "editorial" and "news" staffs separate.<ref>[http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp Society of Professional Journalists: Code of Ethics<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
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.
==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.<ref>[http://www.magazine.org/editorial/guidelines/ Guidelines<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. Most editorial pieces take the form of an [[essay]] or [[thesis]], using arguments to promote a point of view.
==Differences==
The editorial page contains editorials written by a member of the news organization and the opinion page contains opinion [[Column (newspaper)|columns]] and sometimes [[editorial cartoon]]s:
* 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 [[byline]]s.
* 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, [[Print Syndication|syndicated]] columnists, or a regular columnist of the paper.
==Structure of editorials==
{{Cleanup|date=August 2007}}
The editorial page of a newspaper is not about news. It is about personal views. Articles appearing on a newspaper's editorial pages represent the views of the newspaper's editor and/or it's 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.
General opinion holds that the content of editorials needs to carry a message strong enough to eliminate the need for photos 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 publication's editorial slants. However, dissenting opinions are often given space specifically to promote balance and discussion.
Requirements for article length varies according to each publication's guidelines, as do a number of other factors including style and topic. An average editorial is 750 words or less.
==Leading editorial pages==
=== United States ===
Arguably the most prominent liberal editorial page in the nation is that of the ''[[New York Times]]'', which features liberal columnists [[Paul Krugman]], [[Thomas Friedman]], [[Frank Rich]], [[Bob Herbert]], [[Gail Collins]],and [[Nicholas D. Kristof]]. For many years, former [[Richard Nixon]] speechwriter [[William Safire]] was the lone conservative columnist on the page. Following Safire's retirement, [[David Brooks (journalist)|David Brooks]] was hired from the ''[[Weekly Standard]]'' to fill the "conservative seat." But in 2007, the ''Times'' surprised (and angered) many of its politically liberal readers by adding a second conservative, [[William Kristol]], also of the ''Weekly Standard'', as a columnist.
The ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' has long been 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 Prize]]s. Its columnists include Deputy Editorial Page Editor [[Daniel Henninger]], who writes the "Wonder Land" column on national issues, [[Kimberly Strassel]], who writes the "Potomac Watch" column from [[Washington, DC]], and [[Mary Anastasia O'Grady]] on Latin American issues. It is edited by [[Paul Gigot]] and also publishes the online site, [[Opinion Journal]]. It is also the only major editorial board in the nation with its own television program, ''[[Journal Editorial Report]]'', which formerly appeared on [[Public Broadcasting System]] stations, but now runs on the [[Fox News Channel]].
The ''[[Washington Post]]'' editorial page is liberal, though more middle-of-the-road than that of the ''New York Times''. Its opinion page<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinions/index.html Opinions - washingtonpost.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> features opinion columnists [[Charles Krauthammer]], [[David Ignatius]], and [[E. J. Dionne]] among [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinions/?nav=globetop others].
====Regional====
Prominent regional editorial pages include:
*''[[The Dallas Morning News]]'' (Texas — South),<ref>[http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/ Opinion | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> most notably [[Rod Dreher]] and [[Carl Leubsdorf]].
*''[[The Los Angeles Times]]'' (California — West Coast),<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/ Editorial & Opinion Page - Los Angeles Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Once extremely conservative, the page in the 1960s and 1970s followed the trend of most big-city newspapers and adopted a liberal political slant, though it still runs some conservative columnists. Its notable columnists include [[Jonah Goldberg]] and [[Rosa Brooks]].
*''[[The Chicago Tribune]]'' (Illinois — Midwest)<ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ Editorials, commentary, letters to the editor, Sunday Perspective, columnists and bloggers - chicagotribune.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Once the stridently conservative, anti-[[New Deal]] platform of Col. [[Robert R. McCormick]], the Tribune remains right-of-center, but much more mildly than in the past. The formerly conservative ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' has shifted left in recent years.
*''[[The Rocky Mountain News]]'' (Colorado — Midwest).<ref> [http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion/ Read Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and Columns from the Rocky Mountain News : Rocky Mountain News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> is conservative-to-libertarian in its views.
*''[[The Boston Globe]]'' (Massachusetts — Northeast),<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/?p1=GoToNews_Opinion Editorial / Opinion - Boston.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> including [[Cathy Young]] and Derrick Z. Jackson.
*''[[The New York Post]]'' is an influential conservative voice in New York, drawing many of its op-ed contributors from the [[Manhattan Institute]].
*''[[The New York Sun]]'' also features a conservative [[editorial page]].<ref>[http://www.nysun.com/editorials_opinion.php Editorials and Opinion - The New York Sun<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*''[[The Washington Times]]'' features a conservative editorial page in counterpoint to the ''Washington Post''.
==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]]''.
{{Expand|date=January 2007}}
==See also==
*[[Editing]]
*[[Editorial page]]
*[[Editorial board]]
*[[Editorial cartoons]]
*[[Op-ed]]
*[[Column (newspaper)]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.digitalphotojournalist.org Photojournalism v.s. Editorializing Press Watchdog Organization]
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[[Category:Newspapering]]
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