Adviser Update
SUMMER 2013
Page 17A
Tips on writing editorials, commentaries
By Steve Row
A
Steve Row
is currently a journalism
instructor at East Carolina
University. He was journalism
education coordinator at
Richmond Newspapers Inc. from
1992-2003, after working 24
years as a reporter and editor
at The Richmond News Leader.
He was assistant director of
the DJNF’s Urban Journalism
Workshop at Virginia
Commonwealth University
and chairman of the Virginia
Press Association’s journalism
education committee, and he
has been an instructor at state,
regional and national scholastic
journalism conferences. He
served as associate editor at
CityView magazine in Knoxville,
Tenn., 2004-05 and is doing
freelance writing and editing
from his home in Greenville,
N.C. He can be reached at
steverow_editor @hotmail.com.
P01.V54.I4
sibility. You are the voice of
the leadership of the publication. You are not writing to be
liked. You must both lead the
reader and serve the reader.
FINAL REMINDER
Editorials and commentaries
and columns in scholastic
publications should focus on
local issues. Don’t let a
student write on illegal
immigration; don’t permit a
student to write on stem cell
research—at least not for
publication. Each school,
school district and school
board has its own issues, its
own controversies. These
issues, well researched, can
become the subject of an
editorial, column or
commentary.
black
wrong, offer a suggestion on
ways to improve it, or suggest
a practical, workable alternative. Think constructive criticism. One effective method is
by raising questions: “Has the
school board ever considered
. . . ?”
OPPOSING VIEW
If you are writing about a matter in controversy, know what
all sides are saying about the
matter before you take a
stand (in other words, do the
research). If you are taking a
stand, you can even give the
other side credit for an occasional reasonable argument, if
appropriate, but you still must
steer the reader to your side.
BEST WRITING
Editorial writing must be elegant, perhaps the most elegant in the paper. No conversational English, and no
snark. This does not mean
being intellectual; simplicity
still rules, and clarity is essential.
AN OPPORTUNITY
Don’t squander the
opportunity to educate, to
inform, to illuminate. If you do
the necessary research into
your topic, you will be in good
position to help your readers
understand an issue by
bringing to their attention facts
they might not know. No
matter how persuasive you
are, they still might not agree
with you, but at least they will
be better informed. The
choice of topics is important
— the issues should be about
your school, your school’s
students, young people in
general, education (local
issues and in general) —
anything that has a direct
impact on your readers and
their lives.
RESPONSIBILITY
Remember that you are writing from a position of respon-
cyan
argument, and don’t twist
log X