Op-ed Articles

Commentaries about news events or public concerns run on the page facing the editorial page. Op-ed Articles are written by a variety of people who have one thing in common: They are perceived as having expertise or special insight regarding the subject being discussed.

The op-ed articles  may be a rebuttal to a previouslt published editorial or just a reaction to a series of news events reported by the newspaper.

Corporate executives can get high visibility with op-ed pieces. Think tanks and universities also use them to get recognition for their outstanding scholars.

Op-ed is a newspaper term, but the concept also applies to trade and professional publications. Many companies have an active program of encouraging their engineers and research scientists to write commentaries for specialized publications serving a particular industry.

Writing and placing an «op-ed» article in a newspaper is one of the easiest and fastest ways a writer can get into print.

Op-ed is journalese for the page opposite the editorial page in newspapers. The concept was made famous when begun by the New York Times editorial page editor many years ago. The objective was to present views that differed from those of the paper’s editorial writers.

Now most newspapers of note run such articles in order to present a variety of points of view.

Getting an article published as an op-ed piece is simple if you know how — and here are some tips.

Content

Op-ed articles should concentrate on presenting one main idea. The style and complexity of the writing should match the readership of that particular newspaper. A good rule is to keep it simple and avoid the use of jargon.

Because national newspapers receive many more unsolicited articles than they can use, the subject matter and the point of view should be somewhat unique.

A must for such articles, as in almost any kind of writing, is a good strong lead. The first few sentences have to capture the reader’s (and the editor’s) attention. The piece should not only be written in a lively and interesting manner, but it also should be informative and educational.

Daily newspapers generally prefer op-ed articles of about 700-750 words in length, which is about three typewritten, double-spaced pages. Sunday editorial page sections can use longer articles — about 1,000 to 1,500 words.

 

Vocabulary

apply to smth.	применить к ч.-л.
capture smb’s attention	захватить чье-либо внимание
content	суть, содержание
encourage	поощрять
expertise	компетентность
have smth. in common	иметь ч.-л. общее
insight	понимание, интуиция
journalese	газетный штамп, газетный ярлык
lead	вводная часть
match smth.	соответствовать ч.-л.
must	необходимость, насущная потребность
of note	достойный внимания
perceive	воспринимать
place	разместить
rebuttal	опровержение, возражение
scholar	ученый
subject matter	содержание, тема
think tank	(разг.) «мозговой центр»
tip	совет
unique	уникальный
unsolicited	представленный по собственной инициативе
visibility	видимость, обзор

 

Exercises

 

1) Find in the text the words which describe or mean the following

1. a committee of people with experience in a particular subject, that an organization or government establishes to produce ideas and give advice
2. special skills or knowledge in a particular subject, that you learn by experience or traning
3. the ability to understand and realize what people or situations are really like
4. to use something such as a method, idea, or law in a particular situation, activity, or process
5. to say or do something that helps someone have the courage or confidence to do something
6. language that is typical of newspapers

 

2) Match the words. Write down your own sentences with these expressions

corporate	scientists
news	concerns
editorial	executives
research	events
public	page

 

3) Translate the following sentences from the text into Russian. Give synonyms to the underlined words

1. They are perceived as having expertise or special insight regarding the subject being discussed.
2. The op-ed piece may be a rebuttal to a previously published editorial.
3. Now most newspapers of note run such articles to present a variety of points of view.
4. Because national newspapers receive many more unsolicited articles than they can use, the subject matter and the point of view should be somewhat unique.

 

4) Match the words which are close in their meaning

unique	focus
concerns	hitherto
perceive	exceptional
concentrate	worries
previously	identify

 

5) Match the words having the opposite meaning

previously	standard
encourage	intricate
unique	average
simple	currently
outstanding	deter

 

6) Insert the prepositions where necessary

in; from; on; to

1. to concentrate _____smth.
2. opposite_____smth.
3. to match _____smth.
4. to differ_____smth.
5. _____  length
6. to apply _____smth.
7. to serve_____smb.
8. a rebuttal_____smb.
9. a reaction_____smth.
10. to face_____smth.

 

7)    Answer the following questions

1. Where do commentaries about news events or public concerns run?
2. Who are they written by?
3. Who finds op-ed pieces very useful?
4. What can the term op-ed be applied to?
5. Who made op-ed concept famous?
6. What should an op-ed article concentrate on?
7. Why should the use of jargon be avoided?
8. In what way should an op-ed piece be written?

 

8)    Can you explain the following

1. Corporate executives can get high visibility with op-ed pieces.
2. A must for such articles, as in almost any kind of writing, is a good strong lead.
3. The style and complexity of the writing should match the readership of that particular newspaper.

 

9)    Render the following item in English

Проверенным временем и эффективным способом доведения своей точки зрения до общественности является использование разделов газет или периодики, посвященных письмам в редакцию. Большая часть редакторов весьма доброжелательно относится к публикации писем, независимо от точки зрения авторов.

Письма к редактору можно разбить на три категории. Письма могут содержать комментарий, представляющий общественный или частный интерес, продолжить существующую переписку; комментировать или обсуждать предыдущие публикации в газете. Письмо должно быть составлено тщательно и в стиле публикаций того издания, в который оно отправляется. Стиль письма в солидные газеты существенно отличается от стиля писем в еженедельник или бульварную газету.

Когда письмо пишется для того, чтобы исправить допущенную ошибку или двусмысленноеть, особенно важно не повторять первоначальную ошибку, поскольку это вновь напомнит о ней и обратит на нее внимание многих читателей, кто не читал первоначальную публикацию. Этот момент недооценивается даже опытными специалистами.

Следует решить, кто будет подписывать письмо, написанное от имени компании или организации. Как правило, письмо должен подписывать один из руководителей, наиболее тесно связанный с затрагиваемой проблемой. Это особенно разумно, когда в письме приносятся извинения общественности за доставленное беспокойство. Такие извинения значительно чаще приходят от руководства, нежели от сотрудника, ответственного за связи с общественностью.