Op-ed (abbr. From English opposite the editorial page - “opposite the editorial”, often confused with “editorial opinion” from the English opinion-editorial ) - a newspaper or magazine article located opposite the editor’s page in which the opinion of the named author is expressed , usually not associated with the editors of this print publication. Op-ed articles differ from editorials and letters to the editor [1] .
History
Although the editor’s usual pages, reflecting the views of newspaper executives, have been published in newspapers for centuries, modern overview pages come from the op-ed model introduced in 1921 by Herbert Bayard Swope in The Evening World New York. He took the post of editor in 1920 and realized that the page opposite the editorial was “a comprehensive reservoir of book reviews, obituaries and social events” [2] . It occurred to him that there was nothing more interesting for readers than a thought - if that thought was interesting, so he developed a special method for publishing materials and printed thoughts, not paying attention to the facts, which turned journalism in the United States upside down. He was the first newspaper writer to use the op-ed concept, publishing a polemic article next to the editor’s page, which undoubtedly made the materials even sharper.
The first "modern" review pages, that is, those to which participants were attracted from outside the newspaper, appeared in 1970 in the newspaper The New York Times under the leadership of its new editor, John B. Oaks [3] . So a new section appeared - the so-called Op Ed Page. Opinions that do not coincide with the opinions of the newspaper’s editorial staff were first published on this page. As a rule, this was an article by an expert who, perhaps earlier, appeared on the pages of the publication, but was not part of the editorial board. This innovation in those days was completely revolutionary, such as the advent of the Internet and forums later. The column was an unprecedented success and became a model for many other newspapers.
Notes
- ↑ op-ed . Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (January 27, 2018). Date of treatment September 8, 2019.
- ↑ Karl Ernest Meyer. = Pundits, poets, and wits. - New York: Oxford University Press, 1990 .-- P. 458. - ISBN 0195060636 .
- ↑ Jack Shafer. The Op-Ed Page's Back Pages . Slate (September 27, 2010). Date of appeal September 30, 2019.