An Opinion Editorial (Op-Ed piece) is a shorter written argument. Whereas the proposal was around 7 pages long, the Op-Ed piece may only be a few pages. They are often published in newspapers or periodicals that don’t have a lot of space to give to argument, so they must utilize language and tone to get their point across in fewer words. They may also be less formal. Some Op-Ed pieces may be sarcastic or may use satire.
For this assignment, you are to write your own Op-Ed piece based on the topic that you have been researching all semester. You do not have to propose the same solution that you did in your proposal. You may take a completely different angle in the Op-Ed piece. This is your opportunity to be a little more creative in your writing. You do not need to cite any sources in the Op-Ed piece, but if you do mention a statistic or a quote, then you must provide some information to help the reader locate that source. You might add a hyperlink to the source, or you might include the publication, date, and author in the sentence where you setup the quote or source information.
Though some OpEds are written in first person, I suggest that you think carefully before choosing to do so. Generally, OpEds written in first person are done so by people who are experts in the field and have first-hand experience. Otherwise, writing in first person can generally sound like a rant or like whining.
I encourage you to read examples of OpEds written and published in actual newspapers before you write your own. I have provided the links to the New York Times and the LA Times to help you get started.
Sample Solution
