How to of Column Writing 1 – The Point of View & the Voice

So, what is your response? You say it’s a man with a saxophone!! Well, that’s your OPINION! I say it’s a woman’s face! See, how even though we are looking at the same picture, we disagree on what we see inside the picture. This is because we come to our conclusion by bringing out to the table our unique perspective on our reality. Of course, you have heard it before, reality is subjective!! We often interpret the data on issues based on our preconceptions on how the world ought to be. It’s one of those “glass half full, glass half empty” kind of situations! Such biases come through most brilliantly in the form of opinion writing. And this is totally fine!!

Opinion pieces are composed of two elements:

1. Point of View &
2. Voice

Point of view is the writer’s perspective ingrained in their identity in print. It can be an attitude or a philosophy of thinking.

Examples of point-of-view writing can be found in political commentary, when one’s politics color personal opinion.  Example: Conservative or Liberal?

• Personal bias is acceptable in column writing
• Objectivity is not required
• A columnist is not expected to give equal weight to both sides of an issue
• However, in offering written bias, a columnist is obliged to support with facts
• Project passion, but keep it fair with research and accuracy
• It’s almost like  being a lawyer

For your health and wellbeing I highly recommend you have a variety of diet that includes following and reading a mix of columnists with liberal and conservative points of view. Bellow is a list of top columnists from each side of the isle.

Top 10 Liberal/Progressive Columnists

• Paul Krugman
• Arianna Huffington
• Fred Hiatt
• Markos Moulitsas Zuniga (“Kos”)
• Fareed Zakaria

Tow 5 Conservative Columnists: 

• Jonah Goldberg 
• Mark Steyn
• Thomas Sowell
• David Brooks

The Voice is the writer’s personality of the printed page, the style with which the point of view is conveyed.

Voice allows the reader to see the world through the writer’s lens, creating a sense of intimacy. “Voice is what makes a column good and personal” Kim Tan, The Boston Globe. Example: Commentary wrapped with the sense of humor, a conversational style of writing.  Voice is developed with practice. The more you write, the more your writing Voice get refined. Write about what excites you, that’s the best way to develop your own Voice

Next class we will discuss the structure of an opinion piece.

Principles of an argument

After exploring our own self and getting to know our audience, it’s time to roll up our our sleeves and start working on that message. But, before we engage in the actual writing, we need to learn some aspects of the message creation and framing that will help us craft the most effective opinion piece. First, lets start with an argument. What is an argument? In its most simplistic way, an argument is a claim supported by reason. Arguments are grounded in believes, assumptions, and values. A reason per se is defined as a claim supported by a claim. A reason is connected to the claim with connecting words such as because, since, for, so, thus, consequently, therefore, etc.

A genuine argumentation requires reasonable participants who operate within the conventions of reasonable behavior and potentially shared assumptions that can start as a basis for arguments. This definition of an argument emphasizes two important issues:

1. the need for reason and support
2. the need for a basis of common understanding

One of the most perplexing questions that opinion writers and persuaders battle with is how can I make the argument internally consistent and logical?

Logical Structure of an Argument

The first most basic structure of an argument requires (1) a thesis or main claim; (2) at least two reasons or arguments that support your thesis, (3) at least two grounds or evidence (data) that support each argument.  When the writer’s and the audiences’ assumptions (values) are shared, it is ok not to state them explicitly in a claim. The argument will be persuasive.

However, if the values of the writer and his/her audience are not shared, you want to state explicitly your own assumption supported by strong evidence and explanation in order to be persuasive. In this argument structure, you will need to state your (1) thesis or claim, (2) reasoning or argument that support the claim, (3) grounds or data that support your argument, (4)assumption, and (5)grounds or data that support the assumption.