NAME: UZO-NWOSU MMACHUKWU UZOAMAKA

MATRIC NUMBER: 19/SMS04/052

COURSE CODE: CMS 403

COURSE TITLE: EDITORIAL WRITING

LECTURER: PROF. INNOCENT OKOYE

DATE: 18TH OCTOBER, 2022

QUESTION: WRITE A TWO PAGES EXPLAINATION ON

SINGH AND SINGH (2000) THOUGHTS OF A GOOD
EDITORIAL
An editorial is defined as “a presentation of facts and opinion in concise, logical, pleasing
order for the sake of entertaining, of influencing opinion, or of interpreting significant news
in such a way that its importance to the average reader will be clear” (M. Lyle Spencer. It is
a section in magazines or newspapers where the authors or editors express their viewpoints
on current issues.  It is believed to be a brief essay on current issues; the editors give their
opinions about a given problem or topic, which are taken to represent the views of the entire
media organization. The editorial is the only section of a newspaper where the entire
publication can express its own views and observations on current events.  An editorial is not
signed, therefore even though it was written by a specific person, it cannot be claimed to
reflect the views of the entire newspaper organisation.
Singh and Singh (2000) thoughts on editorial can simply be seen as the characteristics of a
good editorial. According to them, a good editorial “should express an opinion without being
opinionated. It should teach without being pedagogic. It should transform without being
evangelical. It should engulf without drowning. It should motivate to action without making
you dictatorial. It should enlighten without getting you to be dogmatic, prejudiced and
egotistical. A good editorial should be brief.” These characteristics are well explained as
follows:
1. It should express an opinion and not be opinionated: The first qualification
of a good editorial is that it must form an opinion. This means that it
must make an effort to critically analyse and sort through the numerous
viewpoints, analyses, and supporting data that is necessary for the topic
discussed. An editorial must provide a unique viewpoint on the topic while
maintaining balance, rather than being populist and expressing just one's
strong opinions and principles. It should address current events and concerns
and make an effort to formulate opinions based on an objective point of view
on events and opposing/contradictory viewpoints.

2. It should teach without being pedagogic: The term "pedagogy" describes the
approach and procedures teachers take to teaching. It relates to the learning
methods and how they influence students. It relates to the various theories they
employ, how they provide feedback, and the assessments they set. It is how
they approach their teaching style. An effective editorial must be able to teach
readers something new without placing them in a formal classroom. A good
editorial must be able to maintain the reader's attention throughout and keep
him interested. It shouldn't dull the reader by making him feel as though he is
being lectured through the content.

3. It should transform without being evangelical: The term “evangelical” comes

from the Greek word euangelion, meaning “the good news” or the “gospel”
Thus, the evangelical faith focuses on the “good news” of salvation brought to
sinners by Jesus Christ. An editorial should be able to change the reader's
perspective from one that is uninformed or unfavourable to one that is more
positive. While doing this, an editorial should not come out as preaching the
good news that will lead to salvation. An editorial urges people to make
positive changes rather than preaching a "good news message."
 4. It should engulf without drowning: An editorial can be considered both a
factual and literary article in addition to its factual content. A literary writing
style is typically used when writing an editorial. An editorial's writing style
ought to be able to draw readers in. The reader must be able to relate to the
language chosen since it must be simple to read and understand. However,
editorial language should not "drown" the reader in the sense that the
editorial's primary message will be rendered ineffective as a result of the
reader losing track of the editorial's original content. An editor should be
aware of this: the language of an editorial is an accessory but never the main
thing.

5. It should motivate you to action making you dictatorial: A strong editorial will
express an opinion, but it won't shove it down the reader's throat. This means
that, even while an editorial expresses the viewpoint of a newspaper or other
news organization, the reader should not be pressured to share that viewpoint.
The message must be clearly stated without being overbearing or authoritative
in order to convince the reader that it represents the viewpoint of your
company.

6. It should enlighten without getting you dogmatic, prejudice and egotistical:

Being dogmatic, prejudice and egotistical simply means getting someone to
believe in your single cause.  This indicates that an effort is being made to
persuade you that their thoughts are correct and that any opposing views are
false. A good editorial is one that inspires the reader to form his or her own
opinions and leaves them feeling informed. It ought to inspire the reader to act
differently or to be at peace with a convoluted or frustrating cognitive process.
A good editorial should inspire readers to choose an alternative course of
action with their newly obtained knowledge and viewpoint, rather than coming
across as having the best perspective on a certain subject.

7. It should be brief: Most readers and listeners of editorials are very sensitive
ones. They usually read or listen to editorials during their leisure times and as
such the editorials should be interesting enough for them to listen to it. A
lengthy editorial may come off as uninteresting, and these readers don't want
to spend all of their free time on it. Thus, an editorial has to be sufficiently
brief to hold his attention, and also equally entertaining to hold his attention.
An editorial must be short enough to keep the readers focused till the end, and
also be interesting enough while carrying all the required factual information
the readers need to be able to urge readers to take action

REFERENCES
https://www.ijp-online.com/article.asp?issn=0253-
7613;year=2006;volume=38;issue=6;spage=381;epage=382;aulast=Singh
https://www.masscommunicationtalk.com/definition-of-editorial.html
https://tophat.com/glossary/p/pedagogy/