What is an OPINION article and examples

An opinion piece It is a text that is part of the journalistic genre, but this time the editors show their opinion about the topic they are talking about. The opinion they formulate may be their own or that of the authority they represent and they will always write this article after having made a thorough analysis about the topic.

In this lesson from a PROFESSOR we want to explain in more detail what is an opinion piece and what its characteristics are, so that you learn to recognize it quickly.

You may find that the opinion piece is referred to as opinion column. It's about a type of journalistic text whose purpose is to arouse interest in the reader through public opinion, dealing with controversial issues in the first person.

Articles are usually written by respected personalities in the sector or that they have done an exhaustive analysis on a specific topic. That is the guarantee that that opinion has some authority.

Opinion articles are usually published in newspaperseither journals and you will be able to easily differentiate them from an editorial article, because they present the author's signature. The opinions of this writer and, therefore, of the opinion piece, do not have to follow the same line as the ideology of the newspaper where they are published. In this case, an opinion piece

works as an isolated entity.

Usually, the public that is interested in opinion pieces are those people who are concerned about know different opinions on a specific topic.

All texts have specific characteristics and knowing them will help you quickly identify it when you find yourself in front of it. In addition, it will also help you to have tools to know how you can structure your journalistic text, when you have to start writing.

These are the features you will find in all opinion articles:

• The extension of a journalistic text is usually brief. About 800 words.
• The Author's name you should always appear and you don't have to be a journalist. Opinion pieces can be written by people who are not in the business of writing, but who are experts on the topic they are talking about.
• The opinion must be based on arguments and grounds showing that this opinion has been considered.
• The text can be found as part of the column of a magazine or newspaper, but can also be found in isolation.
• The topic to be discussed should always be something of the present. Although, when we talk about themes, they are all valid as long as they have an impact on the present.
• The author's discretion it is totally free. In other words, the ideas expressed by the author in his opinion article do not have to agree with the line of thought of the platform that is publishing the text (magazine, newspaper, etc.).
• always carry a headline before starting development. This headline must be original, so that it quickly captures the reader's attention and makes them want to continue reading.
• The objective of the opinion article is to offer the author's personal vision, to open the eyes of the public read your text.
• The public who reads opinion articles is very broad and scattered. Readers do not have to be knowledgeable about the topic they are reading about.

The best way to see all the theory that we have explained in the previous sections, put into practice, is through the examples. That's why we want to show you a couple of opinion piece examples so you can analyze them for yourself.

Opinion article on the environment

"Throughout more than two hundred years of industrialization, humanity has contracted a debt with the environment that gave birth to it: we have taken materials and substances at will, we have modified and then thrown away without caring how or how long it takes for nature to regain its balance, or what the long-term consequences of our models of production. And as everyone knows by now, the payment date may be close."

Opinion piece on endangered animals

"Extinction, as we know, is a very common and frequent phenomenon in nature. We have seen its traces in the fossil record that geography reveals to us: in very ancient times there were cataclysmic events that, at radically change the environment, pushed towards the disappearance of a large percentage of the species that existed in a certain moment. And we have also seen it happen, on a much smaller scale, in our days: numerous species have disappeared due to the effect of the dominant species on the planet, humanity."

Now you know what is an opinion piece and you have seen some clear examples of how they are structured. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, do not hesitate to consult our writing section.