Editorials: Sound Off or Sound Like an Expert?

All right, maybe you've gotten the chance to do an editorial. You're thrilled, right? After all, this is simple. Editorial = opinion. All you have to do is put your opinion in the allotted number of words, and you're done. Easy money.

Not quite.

I always thought that, too. Then I had the fortune to have to take a class on editorials in graduate school. If I remember nothing else, I took away the fact that editorials are more than the rantings of an opinionated writer. Rather, a good editorial shows the reason behind the opinion. That's right, you have to change your formula to: Editorial = informed opinion.

Say you want to do an editorial on the dangers of fluoride in city water supplies. Option 1 is to spout off:

"Let's face it; fluoride is bad for us. There have been lots of studies proving it, but not one supporting its value."

Aside from the problem of how you're going to get an entire column out of that, it sounds weak. It's just your opinion, so why should readers pay attention? In fact, at this point, you sound like an enraged kook (all right, I wrote it...so I sound like an enraged kook). Try Option 2:

"Many cities put fluoride in their water supplies because someone out there has gotten the idea it helps us.

"A Stanford study by Hawkins and Cladell has proven just the opposite. They studied five cities with fluoride in their water supply and compared them to five cities without fluoride.

"The cities that used fluoride had a 57% higher cancer rate than those that didn't. In fact, their findings indicate that fluoride is more toxic than lead. Yet, there's not one study supporting the benefits of fluoride to teeth when taken internally."

Okay, there's no Stanford study. I made that up. Don't do that when you're writing a real editorial. However, you can see how much stronger the editorial text is when you have facts to back up your opinion.

Even from here, I can hear the wheels turning in your head. What about all the writers and broadcasters who publish columns or spout off on TV backed up by nothing but their own thoughts? They're professionals, and they're not "supporting" their opinion.

True, but who do you trust more--someone who spouts off their opinion, or someone who spouts off their opinion with seven different studies to back them up? Of course; the person with facts. There's no reason to listen to the other person unless you already agree with them and want an ego boost.

In the course of finding facts to back you up, you may find there are none. Or, you may find that you change your own mind because opposing evidence is more compelling. That's okay. Journalism is about finding the truth, and that means not lying to ourselves, either.

Make that part of your column.

Creative Writing: Taking Your Profile Interview to the Next Level

Profiles are one of the most difficult types of articles to write—at least, that’s true for me. If you find profiles easy, then consider yourself lucky.

Difficult or not, with profiles as with any other writing, research can do a lot to pull you through.

Unless you’re a veteran writer, you may think that, in order to do a profile, you simply interview the person (if you’re profiling a person), and maybe a few other people for added interest. That’s partly true, but here’s a tip: Research the basics beforehand so you can focus on the juicy stuff during the interview.

What do I mean by basics? I mean the not-so-juicy details that form the framework of the profile. These are details like where the person was born; where they went to high school, college or grad school; what jobs they’ve held; if they’ve ever served in the military; or if they’ve ever received any honors or awards. Consider them the skeleton of your story. They’re small and mundane, but necessary. With them out of the way, you can go in ready to tackle the real muscle without wasting time on the small stuff.

Here are a few ways to research a person before a profile:

1. Obtain their resume or vita. Think about it; a resume is a person’s professional life in a one-page nutshell. Much of the basic information you need—such as education and previous employment—you’ll find in this document. Some people will have their resumes posted on their websites. Others will send them to you if you call and ask.

2. Find previous articles written about the person. If other journalists have worked to dig into this person’s life, why not reap some of the rewards? You’ll often find answers to deeper questions, which can form the foundation for even more probing questions of your own. Again, check the person’s website; website often contain articles favorable to the person. However, if you’re not after a strictly feel-good piece, you’ll also want to check other sources.

3. Read what they’ve written. If the person has written articles, books, theses, etc., you can often use them to find out a lot about the person’s personality and philosophy. If the person is a prolific writer, you probably won’t have time to read everything. However, even a snippet of their writing will be better than nothing.

Use the information you gain from these sources to form detailed, probing questions…or silly questions to lighten the mood of your article. Armed with a little knowledge, you can walk into any profile interview with confidence. You’ll appear prepared and professional—a sure hit with interviewees and editors!