By J.R. Labbe
jrlabbe@star-telegram.com
Write a 600-word column with strong opinion on a local issue.
How hard can it be?
Harder than lots of people think.
Since 2004, the
Star-Telegram has invited folks throughout its circulation area to try their hands at being community columnists for a year. Thirteen area residents will have four opportunities in 2010 to express their viewpoints about issues affecting North Texas.
The guidelines for entries are simple: Submit a sample column of about 600 words on a local issue.
But if this were a test — and it is, of sorts — about 50 percent of the folks who’ve answered thus far would fail, either because their definition of "local" is dramatically different from ours, or they can’t count.
The Community Columnist Panel members are asked to share their opinions on life in North Texas. And heaven knows we have more issues on our plate than 13 writers can say grace over: traffic, air quality, the economy, immigration, economic development and growth, the successes and failures of our public education system, homelessness, literacy, caring for the aging, support for the arts, domestic violence, providing for our men and women in uniform when they return home and supporting their families when they are away. The items on the list of potential local topics are as numerous as the people who live here.
We didn’t just grab an arbitrary number from the ether when we suggested 600 words. The daily OpEd page has a finite amount of space in which to publish columns, which share the page with letters to the editor. Columnists must be able to articulate an opinion about a community issue in the space available. It’s harder to write short than to write long, but the page does not expand.
It’s part of the test, people.
Several of the entries indicate that some folks struggle with what a good opinion piece should be. It shouldn’t be spewing unsupported invective that isn’t grounded in reason and evidence.
The goal of opinion writing is persuasion. Not unlike a salesperson who tries to get customers to buy a product, opinion writers are trying to get readers to buy their arguments. But they’re not selling cars or computers; they’re selling thoughts. Those thoughts have to be supported with facts if they’re going to make the case.
It’s easy to have an opinion. It takes work to have a reasoned opinion. And contrary to the rubbish we hear daily on talk radio and much of the 24/7 TV "news" gabfests, just presenting a viewpoint is not enough to persuade people to consider it, much less be moved to accept it as reasonable.
No column is stronger than the facts behind it. Just because you are writing opinion doesn’t mean you don’t have to provide the facts on which it is based. If someone asks, "How do you know this?" and your answer is, "I just do," you won’t achieve persuasion.
A good opinion piece doesn’t just describe a problem, it prescribes a solution. Frankly, too many of our staff columns and editorials don’t do enough of the second. It’s easy to define the problem, with the possible exception of the Middle East. Now, come up with a solution that includes specific suggestions for action — and for who should do the acting.
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