Select one newspaper or magazine article (electronic medium is fine, but it must be an article and not a blog; local newspapers are welcome)
Assignment Overview
Select one newspaper or magazine article (electronic medium is fine, but it must be an article and not a blog; local newspapers are welcome) and write one editorial in response. Your editorial should go beyond correcting inaccurate information to dispute the author’s underlying assumptions or overt claims. The primary focus is to a) acknowledge the article that they have written through a brief summary, b) address a particular concern or angle you have on the topic, and c) respectfully and professionally suggest an area of change or offer something that can help them improve in the future.
A typical editorial is approximately 250 to 300 words. Your editorial may need to be shorter or longer depending on the publication to which you are submitting. NOTE: Before you select a publication, make sure you know where you’re going to send it. Some publications don’t accept them or it’s difficult to find. The article should be fairly recent, so not something published over a month ago.
PART 1: WRITING AN EDITORIAL LETTER
- Be sure to keep the focus of your letter on the claimsmade in the article and focus your attention on a single aspect of the article rather than attempting to refute it point by point.
- Signal to your reader that you understand the arguments made in the article by providing a succinct, fair, and accurate summaryof the author’s comments.
- Phrase your own argument in the positiveand avoid merely challenging the author’s claims. Whether or not you agree with the author, your “call for change” is about pointing out a possible weakness for the purpose of strengthening the article.
- Maintain your credibility by adopting a reasonable, respectful, and gracious If you are finding it difficult to be respectful, write a first draft in which you tell off the author. Then, set that draft aside and start a new one.
- Avoid any claims that may alienate anyone who does not share your particular point of view.
- Include in your editorial a call for change. The change might be adopting a different perspective on an issue or encouraging a specific action such as boycotting of a company.
- Carefully proofreadyour letter for grammar and spelling. The fastest way to lose credibility with your audience is to submit a poorly written letter.
- Be sure to include in your letter referenceto the author, title, and date when the article was published.
PART 2: SUBMITTING YOUR LETTER
After you have composed your letter and reviewed it, submit it to the publication. Your publication might have an email address specifically for “Letter to an Editor” (search for Opinion and Letters to the Editor), or they might ask you to submit your letter as an online form. Be sure to carefully review any formatting and submission instructions provided by the editors of the publication. To receive credit for submitting your assignment you can CC or BCC me on the emails to the publication or screenshot of your submission.
Answer preview for Select one newspaper or magazine article (electronic medium is fine, but it must be an article and not a blog; local newspapers are welcome)
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