Tips for writing a cloumn

1. Column
Writing

2. The
Column
The “Heart” of a
Newspaper is the reporter
The “Soul” of a Newspaper
is its Editors
The “Personality” of a
Newspaper is its Columnist

3. General Column Categories
Small Story
missed by
reporters
Commentary
on news
story
The
Humorous
View

4. What is a
Column?
A Column is essentially an
opinion piece
It is much looser than a
straight news article
It is not an “Editorial”
Although…it often
supports the editorial
position of the newspaper

5. Your Opinion
Must…
Make sense
Provide insight
Be convincing
And…you must be
entertaining

6. The Columnist
Must be well read Inquisitive
Willing to listen to
various points of view
A columnist develops
a following…they
want insight

7. Column Writing Tips

8. Write with
Conviction Believe in
your position
1
Argue it well
2
Come down
hard on one
side
3

9. Be Focused
The
column is
about
“one”
thing only!
Don’t
muddle
the
message

10. Understand
Opposing
Views
Be mindful of
other POV
1
Research other
POV
2
Anticipate
objections to your
argument and
deal with them
3

11. Refer to Facts
Support your
arguments with
facts
But…don’t bore over
do it and bore your
reader with facts
Facts need to be
from reputable
sources

12. Use Analogies
• Analogies make understanding
complicate things easier
• Example: Shells in ancient cultures were
similar to what money is today

13. Be Critical
Place blame where
you think it belongs
when necessary
1
Name names!!!
2
Be careful of libel.
3

14. Be a
Reporter too Learn facts
first-hand
Dig &
Question

15. Localize &
Personalize
Draw on local
people and events
1
Bring in personal
experience either
yours or someone
you know
2
Make your subject
real, relevant &
memorable
3

16. Be Passionate
Be aggressive…even a little arrogantBe
Energize peopleEnergize
Write about what excites you
Write
about

17. Provide a Solution
If you raise an
issue have a
solution
People read a
columnist to
gain
insight…give it
to them
Don’t be afraid
to have people
disagree