op-ed (noun, often capitalized O&E often attributive \ˈäp-ˈed\): a page of special features usually opposite the editorial page of a newspaper; also : a feature on such a page
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page (though often mistaken for opinion-editorial), is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board. These are different from editorials, which are usually unsigned and written by editorial board members.
Although standard editorial pages have been printed by newspapers for many centuries, the direct ancestor to the modern op-ed page was created in 1921 by Herbert Bayard Swope of The New York Evening World. When he took over as editor in 1920, he realized that the page opposite the editorials was "a catchall for book reviews, society boilerplate, and obituaries". He is quoted as writing: "It occurred to me that nothing is more interesting than opinion when opinion is interesting, so I devised a method of cleaning off the page opposite the editorial, which became the most important in America … and thereon I decided to print opinions, ignoring facts."
But Swope only included opinions by employees of his newspaper, and the first "modern" op-ed page—that is, one that called on contributors outside the newspaper--had to wait until its launch in 1970, under the direction of The New York Times editor John B. Oakes.
Beginning in the 1930s, radio began to threaten print journalism, a process that was later sped up by the rise of television. To combat this, major newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post began including more openly subjective and opinionated journalism, adding more columns and growing their op-ed pages.
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page (though often mistaken for opinion-editorial), is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board. These are different from editorials, which are usually unsigned and written by editorial board members.
ReplyDeleteAlthough standard editorial pages have been printed by newspapers for many centuries, the direct ancestor to the modern op-ed page was created in 1921 by Herbert Bayard Swope of The New York Evening World. When he took over as editor in 1920, he realized that the page opposite the editorials was "a catchall for book reviews, society boilerplate, and obituaries". He is quoted as writing:
"It occurred to me that nothing is more interesting than opinion when opinion is interesting, so I devised a method of cleaning off the page opposite the editorial, which became the most important in America … and thereon I decided to print opinions, ignoring facts."
But Swope only included opinions by employees of his newspaper, and the first "modern" op-ed page—that is, one that called on contributors outside the newspaper--had to wait until its launch in 1970, under the direction of The New York Times editor John B. Oakes.
Beginning in the 1930s, radio began to threaten print journalism, a process that was later sped up by the rise of television. To combat this, major newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post began including more openly subjective and opinionated journalism, adding more columns and growing their op-ed pages.
http://www.dailyoped.com/
ReplyDelete