Comments on: Op-Edxample

Question: Op-Edxample

Spurious — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:47:21 -0800

Examples of beautiful, powerful, and great Op-Eds?

I have been playing around for a while with writing some Op-Eds. I am looking for beautiful and powerful Op-Eds to use as examples for my own writing. Does anyone in the Hivemind know examples of great Op-Eds?

By: amyms

amyms — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:18:32 -0800

The famous "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" editorial springs to mind.

By: CunningLinguist

CunningLinguist — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:50:06 -0800

Okay, first, quit it with the boldface. Let your words be your emphasis. Next, what do you mean exactly by "op-eds?" Just outside opinion pieces? Editorials too? What about columns in general?

This Breslin column interviewing the one man everyone ignored on the day of JFK's funeral is one of the greatest pieces of short newspaper writing ever. I guess it's not really an oped.

I can't really think of any very famous opeds off the top of my head. I think they tend not to be famous because they are usually penned by non-writers pushing an opinion, and therefore don't usually display the beauty and power you are looking for. The Santa Claus editorial was clearly written by a writer.
Maybe you would do better looking at regular newspaper columns.

By: scazza

scazza — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:48:35 -0800

I don't know if you're looking for inspiration or what topic exactly, but I recently loved this one.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:17:28 -0800

Gentlemen, Start Your Coffins is considered one of the greatest sports columns ever, and one of the most controversial pieces of writing about auto racing.

By: umbú

umbú — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:23:56 -0800

This Jonathan Lethem Op-Ed linking the movie The Dark Knight to the world outside the multiplex is astonishing.

By: goo

goo — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:28:10 -0800

This editorial is incredibly powerful, published after the writer (from the Sri Lankan weekly The Sunday Leader) was assassinated.

By: Tin Man

Tin Man — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:04:08 -0800

Have you looked at any books of collected op-eds? Anna Quindlen used to write terrific columns for the NY Times -- they were "beautiful, powerful, and great," as you are looking for -- and they are collected here and here. (The latter contains both NY Times and Newsweek pieces.)