Opinion-based journalism has deep roots in the history of the Fourth Estate. Early U.S. newspapers were often dominated by opinionated political coverage that reflected the ideals and perspectives of the papers' owners or the parties who subsidized their production. The resulting newspaper coverage was frequently politically partisan and subjective in a way that we would today recognize as biased.
However, the relationship between journalism and objectivity grew closer over time, most notably in the 19th century, when newspapers began to move away from this opinion-based presentation of information in order to attract broader (and therefore, larger) audiences. Without swaying to one side of an issue, journalists could more easily appeal to audiences supporting multiple different sides of an issue. These larger audiences, in turn, increased purchases and subscriptions and brought with them greater financial stability for journalism. This turn toward objectivity has since become a modern journalistic norm, with American journalism today being closely tied to the distinction between “fact” and “opinion.”
However, this adherence to the presentation of facts has not led to the disappearance of opinion in U.S. journalism. Today, the two cohabitate, somewhat uncomfortably, in different subfields of journalism that live in intentionally separate sections of newspapers, magazines, and other publications in print and online. Even when U.S. journalism took a marked shift away from subjectivity and toward objectivity in the 19th century, editors and publishers maintained a role for subjective opinion pieces through which opinion journalists could weigh in on a public issue or shift the tide of public opinion. You can find opinion-based journalism in the Editorial and Opinion sections of most publications, and through a form of journalistic writing that is intentionally divorced from neutrality. This type of journalism often advocates for a specific perspective or action regarding an issue. Additionally, editorial cartoons and user-generated opinion pieces, such as letters to the editor or published reader comments or emails, also inhabit this category of journalism.
There are different types of opinion-based forms of journalism. The most common types are editorials, op-eds, and columns. Another type of journalism that is sometimes associated with opinion-journalism are news analyses.
An editorial is an opinion piece written to persuade readers to adopt a specific perspective or take a specific action in response to an issue. For example, an editorial about a U.S. Presidential election might encourage readers to vote for the Democratic candidate or the Republican candidate, or even just simply to vote. Editorials present a series of key points intended to argue their points to audiences. Although editorials are intentionally subjective, they often include reported and verified facts that make a case for their argument, such as polling data and other statistics that indicate the favorability of the position the editorial writer is arguing.
Although editorials are often written by a single author, the decision about which side of an issue a publication will favor in its editorial coverage is a group decision. Publications that include editorials usually feature an editorial board comprised of different journalists, who vote on an issue before an editorial is assigned. When an editorial is published, it comes to represent the collective perspective of a publication’s editorial board—and through them, of the publication itself—even though only one member of the editorial board may ultimately write the published editorial. Editorials are usually published anonymously (without a byline) to maintain the perception that they represent the views of the editorial branch of the publication rather than a single individual. Editorials usually appear, both in print or online, on the Editorial Page or in the Editorial Section of a publication. This separation is intended to make clear to readers that this content is opinion-based and should not be confused with the reported, fact-based content that appears elsewhere in the publication.
The term “op-ed” is short for “opposite of the editorial page.” Like an editorial, an op-ed is a subjective opinion piece written for the purpose of persuading its readers to adopt a point of view or action in response to a topic for which there are multiple sides. But unlike an editorial, an op-ed generally represents the opposite side of an issue than an editorial already took. For example, an op-ed may contend that a climate change bill supported by publication in an editorial is too costly and burdensome to businesses. Conversely, opposing op-eds may be featured in instances where the organization has not published an editorial. Op-eds are generally written by a freelance or guest writer who is not employed by or associated with the publication, including elected officials, political candidates, academics, and public intellectuals. They are distinguished as such through their bylines, which clearly identify the author and their affiliation.
Columns are opinion-based pieces that are broader in nature than either editorials or op-eds. While they are written from the author’s point of view, and often include first-person language, they are not limited to advocating for a particular action or point of view. Indeed, columns can tackle any number of subjects through a variety of different lenses, as long as they present a personal experience or perspective related to the topic they cover. A columnist could, for example, share their experience as a soldier abroad, advocate for the adoption of gender-inclusive bathrooms, tell a story about adopting their first dog, or relate any number of first-person experiences or opinions. Journalistic publications sometimes employ recurring columnists dedicated to specific beats, including film criticism, sports, fashion, domestic advice, and other realms of opinion. They may also employ a columnist who opines or reflects on a different topic each week.
News analyses are pieces of journalism that aim to place news events or developments (e.g., the proposal of major legislation by a political party) within a broader context. Rather than focusing on the latest details about the event or development, the primary objective of these pieces is to situate the event or development within a broader history or trend. Put another way, it aims to combat information overload by synthesizing the information and describing how it fits into a bigger puzzle. This involves describing relevant background, historical details, and both supporting and contradicting factual information. News analyses are typically written by journalists, and not traditional opinion writers. While these pieces are not intended to convey the author’s explicit opinions, the act of synthesizing and contextualizing the information involves a higher degree of interpretation than so-called ‘straight’ news stories. As such, news analyses are often labeled as such, though they may appear alongside typical news stories (and thus, not on editorial pages).
Despite its modern relationship with objectivity, U.S. journalism has maintained a role for subjective opinion pieces, through which opinion journalists seek to weigh in on a public issue or shift the tide of public opinion.
Opinion journalism includes editorials, columns, and op-eds, in addition to editorial cartoons and user-generated opinion pieces like letters to the editor. Such journalism usually aims to persuade readers (though they must still draw upon a factual foundation to be opinion journalism). Additionally, journalists may produce news analyses that aim to contextualize more episodic news stories.
Opinion pieces usually appear in the Editorial Section of a publication. This separation is intended to make clear to readers that this content is opinion-based and should not be confused with the reported, fact-based content that appears elsewhere in the publication. News analyses do appear alongside typical news content, though.