About NCEW - Frequently Asked Questions

• How Can I Prepare for an Editorial Writing Career?
• How Does One Become an Editorial Writer?
• Is Editorial Writing Difficult?
• What do Editorial Writers Do?
• Why Editorials?

Question:
How Can I Prepare for an Editorial Writing Career?

Answer:

Go to college. Although there is no substitute for professional experience, most publishers or managers hire only editorial writers who have earned university degrees. Majoring in journalism may not be necessary, but it helps. So does working on a college newspaper or broadcast station. Graduates of journalism schools have an advantage for getting hired because they acquired valuable training in news-gathering and interpretative techniques. In looking for a university, seek one with courses accredited by the American Council of Education on Journalism and Mass Communications. Learn to write fast and accurately. College journalism courses stress these skills, which are vital to news reporters writing on deadline. Working as a newspaper or broadcast intern is also advantageous. Both help develop skills essential for editorial writing. Broaden your knowledge. News and editorial writers need to be familiar with a wide range of topics. This training can begin in high school, by selecting courses in or reading about the arts, sciences, international affairs, history and literature. Vary your college curriculum. Aspiring journalists should take as many courses as possible in writing and language, but also should study a range of other subjects. Sharpen your research skills. It is important for students who wish to become good editorial writers to know where to gather information - including people in the community, newspapers, the Internet, books and research publications. Good editorial writers check and double-check facts. Hone your curiosity. For editorial writers, as for reporters, it is never enough to know that a situation exists or an event has happened. An insatiable curiosity always needs to ask "Why?" Know yourself. Editorial writers should learn to recognize prejudice, in themselves as well as in their sources. Students interested in newspaper editorial writing can also aspire to be editors of editorial pages. Other editorial-page positions include commentary editors, letters editors, copy editors and cartoonists . Since 1947, the National Conference of Editorial Writers has effectively advanced professional standards and served to improve editorial writing. At its annual conference, regional gatherings and e-mail list, members exchange ideas and constructively discuss current issues affecting opinion writing. NCEW's quarterly publication, The Masthead, provides a forum for editorial writers, which helps them become more effective. NCEW's "Basic Statement of Principles" advises that "editorial writing is more than another way of making money. It is a profession devoted to the public welfare and to public service. The chief duty of its practitioner is to provide the information and guidance toward sound judgments that are essential to the healthy functioning of a democracy. Therefore, editorial writers owe it to their integrity and that of their profession to ... present the facts honestly and fully ... draw fair conclusions from the stated facts, basing them upon the weight of evidence and upon the writer's considered concept of the public good, and... never to use his or her influence to seek personal favors of any kind..."

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Question:
How Does One Become an Editorial Writer?

Answer:
The usual route is through the newsroom. Most editorial writers began their career as reporters or news editors. Some come from outside careers, but often have ties with journalism (such as university instructors). Usually, one applies for an editorial-writing job by contacting a newspaper's publisher or editor or a broadcast station's manager. Editorial writers should have a wide understanding of the community, the state, the nation and the world.

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Question:
Is Editorial Writing Difficult?

Answer:
For students, editorial writing may seem so. Yet, through practice and discipline, the job becomes easier. Good editorials are written tightly and precisely. Editorial writers aim to present ideas effectively in the fewest possible words. The steps for writing strong opinion pieces - researching a topic, outlining the subject matter, then stating and defending a point of view - is beneficial for all aspiring writers.

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Question:
What do Editorial Writers Do?

Answer:
Editorial writers research and write opinions that represent the views of a newspaper's top management, often the publisher, editor or owner. Editorial writers also work for television stations and magazines. Editorial writers and reporters play critically different roles in print and broadcast journalism. Both collect facts on important issues. Reporters use the facts to write or present an objective story without injecting their own opinions. Editorial writers use facts to form an opinion that may be used to seek changes in government or community policies and practices. Reporters may also see the problems, but they may not use their stories to call for change.

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Question:
Why Editorials?

Answer:

• To serve as the conscience of the community in mobilizing public actions.
• To alert readers to important public issues and problems.
• To challenge readers to think and form their own opinions.
• To relate one problem to another, such as through historical perspective.
• To spotlight wrongdoing.
• To advocate for improvements in community, state, national or world situations.

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