There are four aspects that an author should incorporate in an editorial piece. These four aspects are Voice, opinion, grammatically sound diction, and topic choice.
Voice plays a role in an editorial piece as a mood setter. The voice of an editorial piece should make people feel a certain way. The author should try to convince the reader to feel the same way about the topic. Voice is also vital in an editorial piece because it just makes a piece more interesting and exciting for a reader. Some editorials have comical voices, while some have harsh ones.
Opinion is important in an editorial because it shows a point of view that some readers may not have. The point of an editorial is for an author to express his own opinion to readers about his topic. A definite opinion about a topic in an editorial must be established by the writer. People always want to hear others opinions because not everyone thinks alike.
Grammatically sound diction is mandatory in an editorial piece. The sentences should flow smoothly line from line and there should be a solid list of vocabulary throughout the writing. Redundant sentences and phrases should be taken out. Long sentences should be compressed. An overall sense of grammar completeness should be what an author strives for.
Topic Choice is important too. Writers should choose a somewhat relevant topic to write about. This will grab readers' attentions. Current events or issues are very good choices to write about. Controversial topics are also good to write about because they will definitely catch someone's eye. An editorial should be about a topic that MANY people have heard about, or care about.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
What's Quality?
Quality is a word that can be defined in many different ways and on many different levels. One thing that comes to mind when I think of quality is "premium" or "superior". But quality is also "distinctive" and has its own "character" as well.
Quality journalism is well written. It has no grammar or punctuation errors. It is about recent and relevant news. It uses a mix of vocabulary. It either takes a stand on what it is written about, or it presents the information neutrally. Quality journalism is comprehensible for readers. It has strong headlines and sub-headlines. It minimizes the over usage of certain words like: like, such as, also etc. Quality journalism has a voice and its own character. Quality journalism covers a broad range of topics. Quality journalism uses relevant quotes to strengthen an argument. Quality journalism is not always the New York Times.
Quality journalism can be found amongst professional journalists and high-school students alike. There is no "single" definition for quality journalism and the term also varies from person to person. I think quality journalism is precise, relevant, error free and incorporates quotes when necessary.
Quality journalism is well written. It has no grammar or punctuation errors. It is about recent and relevant news. It uses a mix of vocabulary. It either takes a stand on what it is written about, or it presents the information neutrally. Quality journalism is comprehensible for readers. It has strong headlines and sub-headlines. It minimizes the over usage of certain words like: like, such as, also etc. Quality journalism has a voice and its own character. Quality journalism covers a broad range of topics. Quality journalism uses relevant quotes to strengthen an argument. Quality journalism is not always the New York Times.
Quality journalism can be found amongst professional journalists and high-school students alike. There is no "single" definition for quality journalism and the term also varies from person to person. I think quality journalism is precise, relevant, error free and incorporates quotes when necessary.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Aftermath... A drink?
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809240348
When I started to read this article, I thought at an instant that it would be an editorial. The author of this article expresses a distinct voice about how celebrities hold themselves up. The author seems to portray a very sarcastic voice to his two victims, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. He is basically saying that they refer to different types of liquor in many of their songs, and now Dr. Dre is releasing a cognac called Aftermath. Perhaps the author is excited about celebrities creating their own kinds of drinks, but perhaps maybe not. In fact, the voice in this article is so sarcastic that I found it hard to decide whether he supports celebrities making their own drinks, or if he doesn't. I chose this article because I found it quite amusing. The word choices, references to Dr. Dre, Lil' Jon and Snoop Dogg. I hope you guys find it amusing as well.
When I started to read this article, I thought at an instant that it would be an editorial. The author of this article expresses a distinct voice about how celebrities hold themselves up. The author seems to portray a very sarcastic voice to his two victims, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. He is basically saying that they refer to different types of liquor in many of their songs, and now Dr. Dre is releasing a cognac called Aftermath. Perhaps the author is excited about celebrities creating their own kinds of drinks, but perhaps maybe not. In fact, the voice in this article is so sarcastic that I found it hard to decide whether he supports celebrities making their own drinks, or if he doesn't. I chose this article because I found it quite amusing. The word choices, references to Dr. Dre, Lil' Jon and Snoop Dogg. I hope you guys find it amusing as well.
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Mayor's Debate
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809150362\ (Editorial)
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809100409 (News)
I found both the editorial and news articles about the mayoral debate from The Honolulu Advertiser. Both of these articles were informative about the debate, which occurred on September 9th, 2008. It was clear to me which article was a news piece, and which article was an editorial piece.
The first article that I found spoke of current University of Hawai'i civil engineering professor Panos Prevedouros. One part of the piece that blatantly stood out to me was the headline. It read Engineer Prevedouros says background can fix Honolulu, and at an instant, I knew that the majority of the article would be centered on candidate Prevedouros. The author seems to have a favoritism for Prevedouros because the article points out that Mayor Mufi Hannemann has directed some of the harshest critisism towards Prevedouros' anti-rail stance and thinks Prevedouros is only being political about it. Another reason I believe the author has a bias for Prevedouros is the way the article is set up. Following the headline, there are smaller paragraphs that contain sub-headlines. One sub-headline is titled "Infrastructure Expert", while another one is titled "Talented and Efficient". The author is most likely a supporter of Panos Prevedouros. The author does state however that "[Prevedouros'] chances of unseating Hannemann, who is backed by an 80 percent approval rating and a nearly $3 million war chest, appear slim."
Overall, I think the author tackled his job well, but the article was very biased and his few attempts to neutralize it didn't work too well.
The second article I found spoke about all three of the leading candidates for mayor, Mufi Hannemann, Ann Kobayashi and Panos Prevedouros. It provided all of the background information about the debate, and even included which news stationed broadcasted it, KGMB. Unlike the first article, I thought this article was much more neutral, with no favoritism shown to any of the candidates. The article talked about the heated discussions that the three candidates partook in. It also pointed out that many of the harsh remarks were aimed at Hannemann, with Kobayashi calling him a "bully". A big piece of the article was dedicated to the controversial rail issue. It pointed out that both Hannemann and Kobayashi support the idea of the rail while Prevedouros remains an anti-rail cohort. Kobayashi does not agree entirely with Hannemann's plan; She wants mass transit, but with rubber tires on concrete. Prevedouros' believes high occupancy toll lanes and high occupancy expressways are the future for Honolulu's transportation.
Overall, I think the author of this article informed readers about what happened during the debate very precisely and took a neutral position throughout the entire piece.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008809100409 (News)
I found both the editorial and news articles about the mayoral debate from The Honolulu Advertiser. Both of these articles were informative about the debate, which occurred on September 9th, 2008. It was clear to me which article was a news piece, and which article was an editorial piece.
The first article that I found spoke of current University of Hawai'i civil engineering professor Panos Prevedouros. One part of the piece that blatantly stood out to me was the headline. It read Engineer Prevedouros says background can fix Honolulu, and at an instant, I knew that the majority of the article would be centered on candidate Prevedouros. The author seems to have a favoritism for Prevedouros because the article points out that Mayor Mufi Hannemann has directed some of the harshest critisism towards Prevedouros' anti-rail stance and thinks Prevedouros is only being political about it. Another reason I believe the author has a bias for Prevedouros is the way the article is set up. Following the headline, there are smaller paragraphs that contain sub-headlines. One sub-headline is titled "Infrastructure Expert", while another one is titled "Talented and Efficient". The author is most likely a supporter of Panos Prevedouros. The author does state however that "[Prevedouros'] chances of unseating Hannemann, who is backed by an 80 percent approval rating and a nearly $3 million war chest, appear slim."
Overall, I think the author tackled his job well, but the article was very biased and his few attempts to neutralize it didn't work too well.
The second article I found spoke about all three of the leading candidates for mayor, Mufi Hannemann, Ann Kobayashi and Panos Prevedouros. It provided all of the background information about the debate, and even included which news stationed broadcasted it, KGMB. Unlike the first article, I thought this article was much more neutral, with no favoritism shown to any of the candidates. The article talked about the heated discussions that the three candidates partook in. It also pointed out that many of the harsh remarks were aimed at Hannemann, with Kobayashi calling him a "bully". A big piece of the article was dedicated to the controversial rail issue. It pointed out that both Hannemann and Kobayashi support the idea of the rail while Prevedouros remains an anti-rail cohort. Kobayashi does not agree entirely with Hannemann's plan; She wants mass transit, but with rubber tires on concrete. Prevedouros' believes high occupancy toll lanes and high occupancy expressways are the future for Honolulu's transportation.
Overall, I think the author of this article informed readers about what happened during the debate very precisely and took a neutral position throughout the entire piece.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Hurricane Gustav
www.foxnews.com
www.slate.com
It's the strongest storm for year 2008. Its name: Gustav. Millions prepare for the storm, which has increase in strength as it makes its way towards the Gulf Coast. Hundreds of thousands of people living near the Louisiana and Texas coastline are being warned to evacuate their houses and head up north. Rumorded to be a sister storm of hurricane Katrina, which tumbled down the leeves in New Orleans, Gustav has many people wondering, "Will the leeves hold this time?".
The first article that I found was from Slate.com and much of it talked about the preparations that people were making for the storm. Their particular focus seemed to be on the safety of the oil rigs and refineries stationed in the Gulf of Mexico. It talked about oil prices rising more than $1. It points out that a big majority of our domestic oil production and natural gases is derived from the thousands of oil rigs scattered in the Gulf. It also talked about the already high gasoline prices possibly spiking even higher. It mostly discusses the economic impacts that the United States will mostly like have to endure as a result of this powerful storm.
The second article talks about how society will be affected by Hurricane Gustav. It says that the Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is considering to declare a state of emergency coming this thursday and have given warning to citizens of his state. It also speaks of the devastating effects that have arisen such as flooding and landslides, which have claimed the lives of at least 11 people. It speaks of the statistics of the storm, such as sustained winds close to 60 mph and the possible amounts of rain that it may bring. It also speaks about the death toll in Cuba and the other tropical islands surrounding the area that Gustav has hit.
These two articles have handled the forecasting and predictions of Hurricane Gustav differently, but there is one thing in common between the two. This hurricane is bound to have an affect on our economy due to its timing and location.
www.slate.com
It's the strongest storm for year 2008. Its name: Gustav. Millions prepare for the storm, which has increase in strength as it makes its way towards the Gulf Coast. Hundreds of thousands of people living near the Louisiana and Texas coastline are being warned to evacuate their houses and head up north. Rumorded to be a sister storm of hurricane Katrina, which tumbled down the leeves in New Orleans, Gustav has many people wondering, "Will the leeves hold this time?".
The first article that I found was from Slate.com and much of it talked about the preparations that people were making for the storm. Their particular focus seemed to be on the safety of the oil rigs and refineries stationed in the Gulf of Mexico. It talked about oil prices rising more than $1. It points out that a big majority of our domestic oil production and natural gases is derived from the thousands of oil rigs scattered in the Gulf. It also talked about the already high gasoline prices possibly spiking even higher. It mostly discusses the economic impacts that the United States will mostly like have to endure as a result of this powerful storm.
The second article talks about how society will be affected by Hurricane Gustav. It says that the Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is considering to declare a state of emergency coming this thursday and have given warning to citizens of his state. It also speaks of the devastating effects that have arisen such as flooding and landslides, which have claimed the lives of at least 11 people. It speaks of the statistics of the storm, such as sustained winds close to 60 mph and the possible amounts of rain that it may bring. It also speaks about the death toll in Cuba and the other tropical islands surrounding the area that Gustav has hit.
These two articles have handled the forecasting and predictions of Hurricane Gustav differently, but there is one thing in common between the two. This hurricane is bound to have an affect on our economy due to its timing and location.
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