Writing Comment

As well as writing news, it is likely that as a journalist you will be called on to write opinion pieces and commentaries.

According to the Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice, it is fine to have firm opinions as long as you make it clear what is comment and what is news. This means that while you could argue a news story can never be completely objective, it should at least just deal the facts.

In the real world, newspapers often contain a blurring of comment and fact. The nationals tend to be the worst offenders, but even in the local and regional press you read about "hero firefighters" and "sick perverts". While most people would agree with these descriptions, they are still making a judgement when really they should just be reporting the facts.

But while this sort of reporting might offend newspaper purists, it has become such common practice that you may not be able to avoid it.

Writing Commentary

It can often be useful to have an opinion piece alongside a news story to offer analysis of the story and set it in a context for the reader.

This is different from a typical comment piece as it is more about interpreting what it means for the reader rather than just giving an opinion. For example, if the Ofsted criticises a local school, you can inform the reader about how unusual this sort of report is.

Having this sort of interpretation can be particularly useful in helping readers make sense of a story where two sides are attacking each other.

This can be difficult if you are fairly new because often you will not have any better understanding of the story than the reader. If this is the case, then you should try to avoid writing this kind of piece if you can help it. But as you get more experienced, do not be afraid of giving this sort of analysis.

Becoming a Columnist

Writing a regular opinion column can be a rewarding experience but you should think carefully before agreeing to it.

Coming up with 400 or so words every week about what you think might seem easy, but it is is a deceptively difficult type of writing to get right. If you doubt this then just look at the national press, where there are countless columnists who regularly produce writing that is not very good. The situation is even worse in the local and regional press are too many papers with regular columns that are not very good.

Often, columnists end up incoherently venting their spleen about local bureaucracy and political correctness in a pale imitation of Richard Littlejohn. And the real Littlejohn is bad enough.

If you do write a column, try to come up with refreshing views that will surprise people and provoke debate. Try reading Daniel Finkelstein's weekly column in The Times - he is a rare example of someone who does it well.

Writing a Leader Column

Like writing a normal opinion column, a leader column should have opinions in it. But the language you use will often be more formal because the aim is to come across as measured and considered. This can, though, depend on the style of the paper so read previous leader columns and model the style on that.

Also, rather than being your own opinion you should always remember that it is the opinion of the paper. This means that while a good opinon column provokes debate, a good leader column should come across as reasonable and measured.

As part of achieving this, do not criticise people unless they really deserve it. This means that when someone is criticised, it is more likely to be taken seriously.