To write an opinion piece you need two things: have arguments that support your view on the topic of the article and know the structure of the essay-argumentative text.
Step by step to make an opinion article
- If the theme is chosen by you, choose something you already have an opinion about., or at least be in your best interest.
- Search about the topic and collect data from reliable newspapers, books, magazines and websites.
- Organize your ideas and sketch the structure of your text, which should contain an introduction, development and conclusion.
- start writing your text. In the introduction, introduce the topic and say why it's important to think about it.
- In development, take your position. Exposing your arguments, clarify whether you are for or against and what you think about the topic.
- Still in development, counter-argument. Imagine or research arguments against your position and respond to it.
- In conclusion, summarize your ideas and make it clear what your position is.
1. Choose and reflect on the theme
Depending on the case, the topic of your opinion article can be indicated by someone, but if the choice is in your hands, choose something that you are comfortable writing about or, despite not knowing much about it yet, are motivated to research and say what think.
Remember that opinion articles address controversial and current issues, which provokes readers' curiosity. People are interested in knowing the opinion of others on topics that generate debate. That's because good arguments can influence our own view of things.
Example: In the days of Covid-19, there is a lot of discussion around lockdown and distance learning. So both can be good topics for writing opinion articles.
2. Search about the topic
Consult several sources in order to broaden your knowledge on the subject and get to know opinions different from yours.
Collect data that can be presented to the reader - reports, laws, graphs, surveys. Remember that an article that features fundamentals is much more credible.
See example:
“There is an important study by Michael Apple (2003), the work Educating on the right: markets, standards, God and inequality, in which the author opens the introduction with the phrase "The hunting season for education remains open" (p.1). He makes claims that conservative groups have taken possession of education (...)
For the author, these groups defend their ideas using the justification regarding the improvement of the quality standard, through evaluations and for this way increase the level of demands both in relation to the performance of teachers and students, who must, therefore, align themselves with market logics neoliberals.”
(Excerpt from the opinion article “Conec-atados – for the defense of a civilizing project”, published in Jornal Option, on June 14, 2020, and signed by Gabriel Rocha Freitas)
3. Sketch the structure of your text
Before starting to write, think about how you will contextualize the reader about the topic and what arguments - and counter-arguments - you will present to convince those who read your article. Make a sketch of everything that comes to mind.
Then organize your ideas thinking about the structure of your text:
- introduction - contextualization of the theme;
- development - argumentation and counter-argumentation;
- conclusion - summary of ideas.
If my opinion article is about distance learning, I can organize it as below.
Intro part example: With the pandemic, we were forced to maintain isolation and, in this situation, education needed to be adapt to this reality in which teachers and students do not need to be physically in the same environment. However, this practice has a number of disadvantages for teachers...
Development part example: Aware of the need for isolation, teachers had to prepare to ensure that education did not stop, however, while many see just advantages for the fact of working at home, the reality is different, because managing a classroom routine without keeping eye to eye with students is not easy. Now, teachers have to make much more effort to teach and to understand the difficulties of each student, having to reinvent each class...
Some consider that, on the other hand, teachers have less costs (with transport, food), but they do not consider that this reality requires other types of costs, such as expenses with electricity, internet and other equipment necessary for the operation of the your classes …
Completion part example: Distance learning has advantages and disadvantages. Although it is necessary to see both, when comparing them, we can see that the effort of teachers increased in the time of Covid-19.
4. start writing
The first thing that has to be done in an opinion article is to present the topic to the reader so that he understands what will be discussed in the text and why.
Clarify why the topic is controversial, that is, why it is a problem that deserves to be discussed. This will be part of the introduction.
See example:
“The idea of arming the population as a public security measure is controversial but debatable. You can make rational arguments for and against. Bolsonaro, however, crossed the red line of rationality when he said that it is necessary to arm the population to “prevent a dictatorship”. And that's why this text is here. Day-to-day coverage of politics is not within SUPER's scope of affairs, but social debates are.”
(Excerpt from opinion article “Authoritarian is not one who promotes lockdown. He is the one who preaches civil disobedience”, published in the magazine Super Interessante, on May 25, 2020, and signed by Alexandre Versignassi)
5. take your position
In development, you must explain your position very well and state your arguments, substantiating what you write.
Argue and be convincing enough to influence people who read your article and encourage critical reflection. Therefore, your text must be cohesive and coherent, which will guarantee more credibility.
See example:
“The discussion about the imposition of lockdowns must be exclusively between the authorities. If the President disagrees with the measures, no problem: talk to the governors and mayors. If an agreement is not reached with the governors and mayors, there is nothing to be done. It must obey the Constitution – which gives autonomy to states and cities to decide what opens and what closes.”
(Excerpt from opinion article “Authoritarian is not one who promotes lockdown. He is the one who preaches civil disobedience”, published in the magazine Super Interessante, on May 25, 2020, and signed by Alexandre Versignassi)
6. counterargument
Still in development, it is very interesting for you to imagine a reader who disputes your idea / opinion, that is, who presents ideas that are properly argued, but contrary to his.
Anticipating this situation, you write counter-arguments, showing the reason why, despite the arguments presented, these eventual ideas are not viable.
See example:
“And if the President does not agree with the Constitution, let him find support in Congress to change it – yes, the idea of ending the Isolation is preposterous, unscientific and increases the death toll, but a President can try to convince Congress that he is right."
(Excerpt from opinion article “Authoritarian is not one who promotes lockdown. He is the one who preaches civil disobedience”, published in the magazine Super Interessante, on May 25, 2020, and signed by Alexandre Versignassi)
7. At the end, make it clear what your position is
After arguing and counter-arguing in the paragraphs of the development of your essay-argumentative text, you should indicate what conclusion you draw around the discussions on the topic.
In the midst of exposing so many ideas, this part is essential for the reader to understand your opinion.
See example:
“The anti-intellectualism, the pursuit of scientific knowledge, will feed on the weak point of education to strengthen towards the darkness. Ead means the precariousness of the teacher's work, (read: exploitation), it means the “uberization”, the emptying of debates, the loss of rigidity of the scientific method, underemployment, the end from the public examination, the end of the teacher's profession, and the emergence of the “entrepreneurial educator” who will place himself in the competitive market with show, creative, spectacular classes to ensure its place in the market with its CNPJ, without rights, but with obligations and without retirement "conec-atados", connected by technology and bound and silenced by the persecutions that have already occurred. started.”
(Excerpt from the opinion article “Conec-atados – for the defense of a civilizing project”, published in Jornal Option, on June 14, 2020, and signed by Gabriel Rocha Freitas)
For you to understand better:
Opinion article
Opinion Article Structure
