Opinion Writing and Media Commentary

Overview

A good op-ed or commentary is concise. It hits hard with strong arguments, vivid images and relevant analogies. It does not just display expertise; it has to be timely and provocative. At the same time, it is not just emotion or opinion, but it is informed and backed by facts.

In general, your op-ed, review or commentary is a section for advocacy, denunciation and astonishment in the media. Editors want opinion pages to drive public debate.

Whether you’re new to writing or want to improve your craft, this is the ultimate course for you to learn how to present a strong argument with confidence. Our experienced writers will provide the guidance for translating the basics into opinion writing and commentaries that are reasoned, forceful, responsible, engaging and readable.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Develop original and engaging angles for stories and express your personality in your writing
Conduct in-depth research and write critically with sound argumentation to counter logical fallacies
Understand ways audiences form opinions and how writers can influence and sometimes manipulate public opinion
Recognise the boundary separating constitutionally protected opinion from legally actionable defamation
Build a platform for writing and pitch story ideas to editors

What you will learn

About Opinions
Setting The Scene
Combining Topic and Tone
Getting Down to Writing
Revision and Error Correction
The Business

This course is for you if

You’re an aspiring editorial writer or columnist – whether a student or journalist in transition – who wants to learn the responsibilities, techniques and art of opinion writing
You are with or without publishing experience and want to write with power and clarity