Four Aspects of Editorial Writing

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.

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.