Professional columnist project

Tobin Harshaw is an opinions and editorials staff editor at the New York Times.

Harshaw has written on subjects ranging from the economy to the Tea Party movement to blogs over the past semester. His writing style shows the same strong background in reporting that the textbook 'Writing For Impact' demanded for opinions writing.

Harshaw does this by letting other people prove his points for him at times. In a January article about whether or not the recession was coming to an end, Harshaw uses the scepticism of multiple economists and business professionals to underscore his own.

Next, he draws out the counter argument from a Washington politicist--that inventory shifts are a natural part of economic returns.

Counter point made, he refutes that with more testimony from yet another expert. He says almost nothing directly through the entire article, but his opinion on the matter is both clear and backed up by evidence.

Another trick Harshaw uses effectively is the drawing question--Will Wall Street be Saved by Porn? , Assassinating Americans, Killing the Constitution?  and Which Justice Will Prevail? are good examples of this.

Clever headlines and drawing ledes followed up with small-scale narratives such as the one about blogger  Matthew Yglesias' opinion on President Obama and anti-terrorism techniques.

Harshaw is slightly snarky about his attitude while still complimenting Yglesias' writing skills. The trick makes him appear to be even tempered on the subject.

He explores both sides of the issue and discusses whether the Republicans are right to point out Obama's apparent disconnect between his stated stance on fighting and prosecuting terrorists and what he is actually doing.

Because of that, he arrives at middle of the road opinion on this story noting that Republicans are wrong to criticize Obama, but that his shift may jeopardize future movement towards prisoner rights.

Harshaw has other tricks besides those of a good writer or journalist. He is well aware of the capabilities of new media. In each of the above articles, he has several links to other stories where he gathered information, including rival newspapers and blogs.

Lastly, he finishes strong. Harshaw asks a single question at the beginning of his articles, goes into a narrative, zooms out to the broader spectrum and impact then draws a conclusion based on the information listed in the stories and testimonies gathered. The answers are definitive. Others allow for future development.

The techniques and patterns were all consistent to the writing style of an established professional. Harshaw is the kind of writer who has developed through a combination of experience and practice at the craft.

Chapter 13

Journalists will eventually offend someone.

It doesn't matter whether they are hard news reporters, feature writers or columnists, writers cannot make everyone happy all the time. What they must do is make sure they maintain their credibility and the credibility of their institution.

Columnists have an obligation to report the truth. Despite that, chapter 13 states that the average award for a libel or privacy case at the time it was written was $2.9 million.

The First Amendment grants journalists a good working defence, but not immunity from law suits or loss of readership.

Libel is the biggest cause of this. Libel is defamation through published media that demonstratively harmed the plaintiff's reputation, and was published through the negligence, recklessness or intent to harm.

Truth is the best defence against libel, but only if it's documented or provable.

Qualified privilege is a secondary defence. When something is said in an official proceeding, such as a court case, and is quoted ver batim, it cannot be held against the reporter. Qualified privilege holds up even when it covers false or defaming information.

Fair comment on public proceedings is somewhat different. It is written as the right to comment on matters of public interest so long as they are fair and accurate.

Fair comment is the defence is often used as an umbrella defence for comments on public acts, proceedings, performances and appearances.

There are many strategies to use in order to avoid the courtroom and the need to use these defences at all.

Be journalistically sound, double-check facts, avoid cheap shots, question neutral reportage, remember no one is really "fair game" and handle all writing carefully.

Public figures have a harder time proving libel in the court room, but even if they lose, your institute still stands to lose time and money defending itself. So be fair to everyone and make sure that what you write about so-called public figures pertains to the part of their lives that is in the public's eyes.

Privacy is another matter, when is the story invasive and harmful? That is something every writer must ask when dealing with sensitive topics.

Finally, there is the ancient pitfalls of plagiarism and copyright violation.
Writers can cite other writers as long as they attribute fairly and don't take large portions of work. But doing so risks the loss of original thought. Information isn't copyrighted, but news stories are.

Writers can lift attributed quotes from copyrighted materials when commenting or critiquing them, but they cannot pass them off as their own. That is plagiarism, one of biggest taboos of journalism.

As long as writers treat every story with care and remember that lawsuits are a real possibility they can minimize their risks and maintain credibility in the journalism world.

Chapter 12

Chapter 12 is all about campus newspapers and student journalism.

The Red & Black and other campus newspapers are training grounds. This is where student journalists practice their crafts and build portfolios (without which they have virtually no chance at a job).

The first lessons in Campus writing are commitment and courage. The student must be willing to work under-staffed and without pay. Long hours and hard work are the simple reality of journalism. That's commitment.

Courage is writing editorials that may upset people in authority over the writer as a student. They must use ethical and sound principles of journalism, but they shouldn't back down either.

The Rice Thresher at Rice University is cited as doing a good job at this when it explores a U.S. Supreme Court finding that the university violated rules for financing sports equally based on gender.

The Thresher notes the different percentages and how to better fix the problem than simply throw more money at it. They also note that the inequality is not as severe as it was made out due to the largely shared use of facilities.

They did something else right to, they wrote about something that directly impacted the students. Student journalists should focus on stories that directly affect the readers, in most cases students and staff at their university.

Many points on good editorial writing brought up in earlier chapters are mentioned here. Other things to remember are that open record laws are there for our use, grammar is important and we must focus on short, central points.

Writers have to practice. The campus papers are an ideal place to start.

Chapter 11 Summary

This time the book widens its focus again and looks at commentary for cyberspace and broadcast news.

The Internet is a medium that allows for long-form writing and a faster way to get stories to readers. Studies have shown that readers spend less time reading specific pages on a website. However, space is not at a premium like it is in newspapers and magazines.

This allows writers to go more in-depth in their coverage. The reader can choose to move on when ready, usually through hyper-links the writers place within their stories to related topics.

The Internet also provides a unique opportunity for bloggers. Here, anyone can be journalist and even a watch dog of the media. Jack Shafer is mentioned as an example for taking a New York Times article about sex slavery to task.

Journalists must use the Internet differently than papers and still maintain impact. Readers want information on the Internet now, not at 6 p.m.

Writers need to uses certain tricks to get that impact. One of the most important, is getting reader interaction. Writers can use comment boards, polls, slide shows, and live chats to achieve this. How far they go is really limited only by the amount of time they can put into it.

Broadcast news writing has other challenges. The author notes that Broadcast commentary is disappearing. This is in part due to profit-driven radio and what the listeners want to here.

When it is possible to give commentary on the radio, the writers must use sparing language that is good for the ears, not the eyes. Pacing and understanding is important. In short, say it in 150-200 words, not 500.

Chapter 10

Specialty columns are those that follow the personal interest of the writer.

This is one place where the writer must have a personal background in the subject. A tech writer, such as myself, must also be a tech enthusiast. Likewise, travel writers must be willing to globe trot.

There are many different specialty fields to choose from, so writer's should stick to what they know.


Columnists should also remember that here "He said, she said" will not carry commentary. The readers of specialty sections are often experts on the subject. So the writer must know what they are talking about. And more importantly, his or her opinions must be based on logical, visible facts.


Then there is the story. Writers always need engaging leads. A specialty writers should be able to define conflicts and problems, present solutions and exit through anecdotes or situations that he or she think may come of it.

The writer's reputation is at stake here, but so is the media's. Writers must remember to temper their work with preparation and the knowledge that there is no "single truth" as the author puts it.

The writer's opinion must focus on the here and now and not just on reputations built up in the past. For instance, a tech writer who gave a new Apple product a rave review simply because he or she likes Apple might cost readers money on something that is not right for them.

Chapter nine summary

Arts writing has several questions a columnist must know the answers to to give justice to the critscism.

Who is the writer loyal to, the artist, his or herself, or the audience? Who is the writer writing for, insiders or everyday newspaper and magazine readers? And lastly, how can I be fair?

Loyalty in the art world is not always the cut and dry reader-first mentality.

Some editors demand that of their critics, such as Dennis Britten when he replaced his movie reviewers at the Denver Post.

Others, such as Harold C. Shonberg of the New York Times openly admit that they write for themselves.

Then there are those who write for the artist world. The chapter mentions Walter Kerr as a critic who was beloved by the theater world, and whose opinions greatly influenced the performances.

Art critics must determine what their editors want, and what will work best for them. If the have no readers, they are wasted space in and industry where space is money.

The second challenge is in the writing. A writer must know when to clarify his or her language to engage as large an audience as possible, and when to focus on the just the 10 percent of readers who really "get it."

Finally, the writer must determine his or her goal in criticism. The must know how to be fair by balancing their opinion on the art itself, avoiding cheap shots and most of all steering clear of manipulation by the art world itself.

Not everything the writer reviews will be to his or her personal tastes. So he or she must know if the readers hold their personal opinion in high regard or if they want an explanation of what they saw or heard. The writer must avoid being superficial in either case.

Last there is the arts world.  Every journalist faces influence by his or her beat, and arts is no different. Critics must avoid giving rave reviews just for early passes to a movie.

Chapter eight Summary

Chapter eight focuses on sports writing.

The sports section is one of the most heavily read in newspapers. Around 74 percent of men and 45 percent of women read sports, according to the chapter. Sports is also one of the most popular topics for new magazines.

Sports writers have a unique job because of the relationships they have with their readers, and the format they are expected to write in.

Sports is a very casual topic, people want to read a story that discusses their favorite players both on and off the field. But the writer must look beyond the scoreboard to be truly successful. Sports is a business. Contracts, sponsors and player trades are as meaningful--if not more so--as a play by play of last night's game.

The vocabulary the writer uses is also a delicate balance.

Sports, according to the chapter, is one of the only sections of the newspaper where the writer is expected to use jargon. Meanwhile even the Wall Street Journal regularly explains even simple terms.

A sports writer must know the terms. It's as simple as that. Sports readers have an inside knowledge of the games, and expect the writers to as well.

The flip side of this coin is that the writer must be aware of where his or her story is going to appear in a paper. That same jargon cannot appear in an article on the front page since the readers may not share the same inside knowledge.

The sports columnists has yet another duty. He or she must know when to uplift a team or player and when to point out flaws. Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune wrote a column condemning the actions of  both basketball player Dennis Rodman and his fans.

"There was only one incident last week worse than Dennis Rodman assaulting a courtside cameraman in Minneapolis," Smith wrote. "It was the the standing ovation Rodman got from the Chicago crowd for his 10,000th rebound."

Smith goes on to enumerate Rodman's character flaws and the dangers of parents uplifting such a person to their children as a potential role-model.

Finally, there is the bigger story. Unlike broadcast news, the columnist can give the readers a 'what happens next' take either before or after a match.

A good columnist will get inside the head of the competitors. He or she can show the readers the challenges they face and give the hero's a more three-dimensional feel. These writers invite their readers to come in and discuss favorite teams and players.

That is what gives a sports columnist their own marketability.

Chapter seven summary

Chapter seven focuses on humor writing.

Humor writing can include funny columns, slap-stick, satire and more. However, it is often one of the most stressful jobs in journalism.

Hal Boyle, of the Associate Press, often worried about his columns having to block everything else out.

Being funny on a daily or weekly basis is hard because one must find a topic that both speaks to readers and can be shown in a humorous way sucsessfully. Andy Rooney mentions humor as one of the few topics that can never be discussed rationally because there is no standard measurement of humor and people react to it differently.

One way of doing humor is through vignettes and personal stories columnists write about their own lives. The columnist will often try to write a "goat" story in which the bumbling character--usually his or herself can do nothing right.

Another technique is to use imaginary friends such as the late Mike Royko's Slats Grobknick or Lewis Grizzard's  Cathy Sue Loudermilk.

Satire and slapstick are tools that need to be used carefully. Good humor is to the point and original.

Satire is best used to turn something that is all over the news into something entertaining i.e. a story about NASA sending a space probe to Mars could be spun as Earth invading Mars.

Slapstick such as pies in the face joke are easily overdone. It can however be used to lighten the mood of an audience when heavier news is flooding papers.

Regardless of the type of humor used, columnists need to remember they are not paid to write by the yard. Space is important in newspapers, magazines and even on line. Beyond that, jokes are at their most effective when they are swiftly delivered and not overly complicated.

Humor columnists are like any other writer. They have to listen to their readers, and they have to write and edit their work continuously in order to improve and be effective.

Chapter six summary

Chapter six focuses on what it means to be a columnist and how it differs from general editorial writing.

Being a columnist is the most coveted job in journalism, according to Conrad Fink, who says that it is also one of the hardest jobs to acquire.

To be selected as a columnist, the editor of the paper must determine that there is enough space available in the paper, you have strong writing and reporting skills and that you have an opinion that people will want to read.

While it is still difficult to become a columnist, the opportunities are increasing because readers are becoming more and more selective and savvy in what they read. They want to know how the news affects them.

To achieve this, editors are using more columnists to deliver news-analysis without the typical left wing or right wing slants--but rather a populist one favoured by the columnist.

Column writing also differs from editorials in the use of personal experience and anecdotes to deliver a point. Writers such as the late Lewis Grizzard of the Atlanta Journal-Constituion were experts at but life stories and hyperbole to bring across an important message in an entertaining way.

They will attempt to write stories in differing ways in order to increase their audience and marketability.

However, columnists must not fall into the trap of using overly light language when dealing will certain serious or tragic subjects.
This again is where they can interject themselves and the stories of others to reach people.

Columnists also share the similarities to other journalists already mentioned--they must have strong reporting skills, solid background knowledge on the subjects they write about and reliable sources so they can deliver hard-hitting news in a timely manner.

Chapter five summary

Chapter five focuses on opinion writing for magazines and how it differs from daily or weekly newspapers.

Magazines writing has to be approched differently because they go to press less often. The news will not be as timely, and, as a result, should focus on either looking forward or news summary and anylisis writing.

There are several different types of magazines that are important to opinion writers: news-magazines i.e. Time, consumer magazines such as The New Yorker business magazines like The Economist and trade magazines for various industries.

Magazine readers also affect how writers approach stories. Studies show the average magazine reader is around 40-years-old, and spends about 52 minutes reading a magazine during liesure time in the home or a doctor's office.

Magazine readers are also typically more familiar with the subject matter covered by their publication of choice. Because of this, writer's should know their subject matter quite well and write for insiders--"There is no need to explain air flaps in an editorial for Aviation Week & Space Technology."

Lastly, magazines vary widely in tone and style.

Some trade magazines praise their industries and businesses while others critique. Some business and news magazines do not take institutional sides and others focus solely on one type of political ideal.

Chapter four summary

Chapter four focuses on writing editorial stories.

The differences in editorial stories and news stories is primarily in advocacy and opinion rather than objective 'he said, she said' coverage of what happened the day before.

The Editorial page of a newspaper is meant to be a public forum for the readers to not only learn about the advantages or problems with a proposed change in local policy, but a chance to weigh in on the decisions themselves.

This can be accomplished through letters to the editor, polls and word on the street interviews.

For the Editorial page to succeed in this mission, it needs good writers. As mentioned in chapter one, good opinion writers are good reporters. They also need to know good writing techniques--ways to draw the reader into their stories.

There are several ways to accomplish this: the 'neck of the vase method' for instance where a writer will focus in on a single incident or person before revealing a larger problem or trend.

The 'imagine with me' structure invites the reader to join the writer in a described personal experiance scenario in order to leave a vivid idea in the reader's mind.

Other techniqus such as the 'Question' or 'We're all in this together' structures give editorial writers a way to pull the reader in and point out the need for change or attention to be paid to a certain issue.

Regardless of the technique used, an editorial writer needs to make sure his story accoplishes three things: SEA--stimulate, explain and advocate.

While traditional news stories answer who, what, when, where, why and sometimes how, the editorial needs to say why it is important to the reader--what it means to them.

Chapter three summary

Chapter three goes into greater detail about the reporter skills necessary to be a good editorialist, and the differences in news values between a good straight news story and a good editorial.

The same values apply to each: impact, proximity, conflict, prominence and timeliness. However, timeliness has less value in an editorial than a spot news story.

A case study mentioned in the chapter about domestic violence emphasizes this point. The story of Jeanmie Purcell's murder was quickly reported, but a larger editorial about domestic abuse in Kentucky written by Maria Henson was not published until 13 months later after extensive research and interviews had been conducted.

The next tip listed in the chapter was going directly to sources for facts.

The internet and secondary sources (such as newspaper morgues) are unreliable as the information they contain may have errors. The best way to find solid facts is through interviews and primary source research while keeping the focus of the editorial on people.

The final topic of the chapter was on challenges the newspaper media faces. The general public views the media to be primarily liberal (or in some recent cases very right-wing).

This causes mistrust in the public, and causes doubt on whether a reported can rise above his or her political views when writing a story. Added to this difficulty is the trouble some people have in differentiating between straight news articles and opinion pieces.

The best way to counter these obstacles is through balanced views of issues while not pulling punches.

Chapter two summary

An editorialist has to know what they are talking about and who they are talking to. To do this, writers should develop a field of expertise--such as technology, sports writing or local politics and write to a specific audience.

The audience is the writer's primary concern. If no one reads the column, then it is wasted space on newsprint. The editorial board's job is to know who their audience is by analyzing them demographically and psycho-graphically.

Demographic groups of people are divided by factors such as age, race, location and income. Psycho-graphic groups are divided among those with common interests such as hobbies, political alignments and religions.

Editorialists pick a target audience which they can reach through their medium, then write about current issues which affect them. 

The sun exploding in one billion years will interest no one alive today, but the county raising property taxes will. It is important to remember that the best way to find the issues that people are interested in is to walk and talk with people within the local community.

Chapter one summary

Chapter one summarizes the basic news values and principles, and the key differences between standard news writing and editorial writing.

A writer's first responsibility is to the public. As a columnist, this means taking a specific side on an issue--supporting one candidate over another, supporting or attacking a proposed plan,  fully explaining why and sticking with it. The writer must cover both sides of the issue to do this, or they risk being ignored.

A good editorialist is a good reporter. This means he or she must have experience as a journalist in order to make judgment calls on issues to support or not.

Columnists, like all journalists, must avoid conflicts of interest and quickly bring to light any errors in reporting in order to maintain the public's trust.
There are several things to consider beyond what issues to write about.

Columnists must realize that pain will be involved in their writing. They will draw anger towards themselves--or occasionally cause emotional distress for the friends and family of public figures under scrutiny.

This is an inevitable part of writing. It is the writer's job to determine how to minimize harm and create the most benefit possible for the largest number of people (such as using the utilitarian standard).