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Op Ed Essay Made Easy: Example And Topics From Experts

Do you have an op ed essay task but no idea how to go about it? You are not alone because a lot of people get stuck even before starting. Whether the trouble is in picking good op ed essay ideas or do not understand the right format to use, we are here to help.

This post is a comprehensive guide on how to write an op ed essay. Keep reading to find out more about the best op ed essay format and useful writing tips. To cap it all, we have listed the best 60 op ed topics for essay.

Table Of Contents

Op-Ed Essay Definition

How to write a good op ed essay, op ed essay example, writing an op ed essay: a step-by-step guide, top op ed essay writing tips, interesting op ed essay ideas.

Before looking at how to write a good op ed essay, it is crucial to start by answering the question, “What is it?” Traditionally, it is an opinion piece, mainly used in print media, appearing opposite the editorial page (hence the name “op-ed). These are essays done by authors who are not affiliated with the publisher and are used to provide an opinion to provoke discussion and thought among the readers.

Op-ed essays are slightly longer than the common letter to the editor and have become very common in both print and digital media. Because they offer expert opinions, it is important to start by learning how they are done by reading other top op ed essay examples in specific areas. However, most people still find using op ed examples essay not be enough and opt to seek essay writing help.

When writing an op ed essay, perhaps the most important thing is getting the right topic because it shapes the opinion that you will work on. Try to dig deeper into the topic and answer the question, “What is the latest trend about it?”

Like a standard essay, it is crucial to start your work by developing a good essay structure. Here is the most preferred op ed essay format, but you can also develop a different one.

A news hook. Thesis. Argument. 1 st point. 2 nd point. 3 rd point. Address counterarguments Op ed essay conclusion.

This Op ed is based on the article “Trump, and Great Business Ideas for America”. This is an economic review posted by Shiller Robert in the New York Times. The article mainly discuss the ideas that the new president elect of the United States of America, Donald Trump has on the nation. In essence, the people are hopeful that he will transform the nation’s economy since is a leader who has been in business and management for various years. Economists consider that this is an experiment that will prove whether the skills and techniques of a manager can be vital in enhancing the economy of a nation. Therefore, because of his success in business the Americans are expected that the economy will substantially improve. For Donald Trump, it is vital to be keen on the steps that he will take since people are expecting too much from him especially regarding economy.

Classical School

School of thoughts plays a vital role in the today’s economy. In essence, there are several ways in which the school of thoughts is applied mainly to enhance and solve economic challenges. Therefore, it is imperative to inform the members of the public the need to apply economic school of thoughts to enhance the economy. One of the major commonly use economic school of thoughts is the classical tool. The classical school of thought is regarded as the first economic school of thought that was developed by a Scottish economist Adam Smith. Hunt asserts that the main argument of the school is that the best way to enhance economy is to leave the markets alone (2). In this case, it means that the government had a minimal role to play. This means that the classical economic thought advocated for a free market that involves minimal or no rules. Thus, regarding explaining the value of the classical school, the determining factors were cost of production and scarcity. Concerning macro economy, there are self-re adjustment terms that allow the economy to automatically return to full employment.

Neoclassical School of Economics

This is a school of thought that emerged mainly as an improvement of the classical theory of economics. The school is also currently referred to as the marginal revolution. However, as an advancement of the classical school the theory left various aspects. Some of the most common aspects that were dropped include the value theory and the distribution of wealth in the society. As a result, neoclassical approach focuses on the strategies that promote effective allocation of scarce resources in the various markets. In that connection, there is a great emphasis on how various participants in the market such as the customers and producers utilize the function of utility and production. To achieve success in such markets, they must consider factors such as budgets and constraints. This is the main reason the neoclassical theory introduced the mechanism of maximizing utility and it challenge of cost minimization.

In addition to the above, the neoclassical school of thought can be defined as the theory that emphasizes the efficacy of the products and how it affects the market in terms of supply and demand. In essence, it is clear that the markets are based on the customers due to their control of the market forces such as price and demand. This is mainly because the goal of the consumer is utility maximization whereas the role of the goal of the business is to enhance profits. In that connection, there is a great emphasis on how various participants in the market such as the customers and producers utilize the function of utility and production.

The Theorist That Supports the Human Behavior School of Thought

Landreth and Colander confirm that Elton Mayo is the theorist who best supports this school of thought. Various principles are emphasized by the school of thought (10). One of the most important policies is employee motivation. By accepting diversity, managers demonstrate his management skill of motivating the employees to enhance their performance. The second principle of behavioral school of thought is leadership. This can be explained by the fact that managers can enable to adapt to internal changes swiftly. As well, the other principle of the theory is employee development. The management styled established by managers should ensure that employee development supports the people-focused strategy.

In conclusion, it is elemental to note that the economic school of thoughts may vary in one way or another. However, all these schools of thoughts such as the classical thought and the behavioral schools should be employed to enhance economic growth and development. There are various assumptions that are made in the neoclassical school of thought. One of the major assumption is that the decisions that are made are usually rational due to the availability of completed information about the product and service. The second assumption is that customers compare the available products and services in the market with the primary objective of making effective deceived based on utility. The third and most crucial assumption of the neoclassical economic school is that the primary objective of business is to maximize on profit making. On the contrary, customer’s main objective is to have improved satisfaction while using the service or product. Therefore, as the new president elect of the United States of America takes office he must ensure that the right polices are implemented to enhance economy. Otherwise, improving US economy might be a great challenge to overcome.

After developing the preferred structure for your essay, it is time to write a high-quality piece to impress readers. It might be a great idea to closely check another top op-ed essay example to learn how different components are put through.

• Develop a News Hook

Because an op ed essay is designed for the media, it is crucial to target a trending topic in the local, national, or global headlines. The first few sentences should also grab the reader’s attention, making him/her want to read more. During the just-concluded presidential elections, some topics revolving around the violence on the capitol, the American voting system, and the policy shift between outgoing President Trump and incoming President Joe Biden, would have been excellent.

• Tune Your Op Ed Essay to Match the Targeted Audience

If you read a high-rated op ed essay sample, one of the most notable things is the focus on a specific audience. For example, local print media might be targeted at providing insights on how wearing face masks affect the spread of COVID-19. So, it will be a great idea to try and understand the audience.

• Understand the Targeted Publication

As we have mentioned, op ed essays are written pieces of opinion, but they must follow the rules and guidelines of the targeted media. This means that although you might have a lengthy piece, it has to be cut to size to fit the recommended number of words for the respective media. Other attributes include a sense of style, level, image size and font.

• Back-Up Your Arguments with Facts

While it is true that you are writing a personal opinion, it is paramount to ensure it is based on facts. Once you bring out key arguments, try to incorporate data and statistics to reinforce them. Go ahead and use historical facts to bolster the case. Counterarguments can also help you to sound more professional and avoid bias.

• Use the O p Ed Essay Conclusion to Call Readers to Action

After articulating all the points in your essay, you should not leave readers hanging. Well, if you were discussing a very serious issue, be it the COVID-19 vaccine or the danger of the latest video games, the conclusion should be used to call readers to action. For example, you can ask people to go and get the vaccine, select non-violent games, speak against school bullying, or other actions.

The following op ed essay writing tips will come in handy to help you to stay focused, sharpen your skills, and craft top-notch work.

Try to make the op-ed essay as clear as possible. Even if you are working on a complex topic, it might be a good idea to ditch the complex words or explain them well when they appear in your essay. Take your time practicing how to write a good op ed essay. Particularly, it can be a good idea to check another op ed essay sample done by a professional and try crafting a better piece. Make sure to follow the guidelines for the essay you are writing strictly. These include the essay structure, number of words, style, font, and other formatting particulars. Proofread your work well. Once you are through working on your essay, make sure to proofread it well and clear all sorts of errors. You might also want to seek the assistance of expert writers when proofreading the work.

Top 30 Op Ed Topics for Essay

Now that we have looked at what is an op ed essay and tips for making it outstanding, what are some of the best topics to consider? Check out our top 60 op ed essay topics and pick the preferred option. You can use op ed essay ideas as they are or tweak a little to suit your preference.

There is nothing as enjoyable as writing a good op ed essay about a topic that you like . Here are some interesting op ed essay ideas to consider:

• Are professional athletes and actors paid too much for their work?
• Should we have a specific dress code for teachers in school?
• Nuclear weapons: Are they killing devices or global peacemakers?
• The bulk of high-level jobs are done by men. Should the government set a specific percentage of these jobs for women?
• What are the impacts of inaccurate sleep patterns?
• What factors contribute to the development of a good movie?
• Death penalty: Should it be abolished globally?
• What age should be considered appropriate for dating?
• Voting age: Should it be lowered to 11 years?

Top Op Ed essay ideas on Environment and Conservation

If you love the environment and conservation, here are some awesome op ed essay ideas.

• Use of animals in scientific research: Up to what extent is it acceptable?
• Zoos are often considered necessary, but they cannot be alternatives to natural environments.
• Are we doing enough to protect endangered animals?
• Is it impossible to address global warming?
• Facing the facts: Is it possible for the globe to entirely rely on green energy?
• Why do most governments hide their information on global warming?
• Are the benefits of electric cars worth the huge investments being directed into the industry?
• Explore the main arguments for or against keeping animals in zoos.
• What are the effects of whaling in the sea?
• Should we develop technology to bring back extinct animals, such as dinosaurs?

Education-Related Op-Ed Essay Topics

Education is one of the broad areas, meaning that identifying some good topics for your essay can be challenging. To help you out, here are some excellent topics suggestions.

• Should girls and boys be taught in separate classes?
• Imagine your geography teacher wants to take your class for a different subject and she is taking suggestions from students. What subjects should she pick? Write an essay supporting your decision.
• Has the modern generation become too dependent on computers?
• Should we replace all the textbooks with tablet computers?
• Should wealthy countries be compelled to share their wealth with poorer nations?
• Space exploration: Is it a worthy undertaking?
• Should we abolish all forms of punishment in schools?
• Using Homework in schools: Should it be abolished?
• College violence: Is it related to video games.
• Should students who are talented in sports go to school?
• Distance learning in modern education: Comparing the pros and cons.
• Students grading their teachers: Should it be allowed in schools?
• Should smartphones be allowed in elementary schools?
• If you had a chance to bring one person to a place that is so special, who would that be?

Culture Opinion Essay Opinion Essay Ideas

Here are some great cultural opinion essay topics to consider for your work.

• The bulk of 21 st -century fashion can result in serious eating disorders.
• Music and generation gap.
• Should a tax be placed on all junk to address the problem of obesity?
• If we wake up and found that the world has no rules and government, what would it be like?
• Online video and music streaming: What are the associated pros and cons?
• Anti-war culture in the 21 st century.
• Is fashion important?
• Should all companies screen their employees for mental disorders?
• Is the internet helping or destroying companies today?
• Online communications: A demonstration of how it affects physical relationships.

History Op Ed Essay Topics

Check out the leading op ed essay topics in history.

• Monarchy system in modern society: Does it have any benefits?
• The benefits of learning history
• Comparing Buddhism and Islam.
• Gender bias in the Roman Empire?
• Holocaust: How were the lessons learned used to shape modern-day Israel?
• Vietnam War: A closer look at the bias in media coverage.
• Slave Trade: Imagining a new world if the slave trade never took place.
• The distortion of Martin Luther King’s message today.
• Should the history of World War I and II be abolished to espouse a new globe?

Nursing and Psychology Op Ed Topics for Essay

If you are in nursing, medicine or psychology-related areas, here are some great easy ideas to consider:

• Why nurses and physicians should have very close cooperation.
• How effective is WHO in addressing global pandemics?
• Herbal practitioners and traditional medicine: Are they the same?
• Causes of racial bias in healthcare.
• Physical education and its role in reducing anxiety.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD): What are the best solutions?
• Nursing theorists: Are they relevant in nursing studies today?
• Legalization of cannabis use: Is it a good idea?

Time to Seek Writing Assistance

Now that we have provided a step-by-step guide to writing quality op ed essays, can you craft one? If it is still challenging, you need to keep trying, but how do you craft the op ed essay at hand? You should consider seeking essay writing help from experts.

Good custom essay firms work with professional writers in different areas and can craft some of the best pieces. Indeed, they are likely to have handled similar tasks before, and you can count on them for excellent essays. You will also love the fact that essay writing help is cheap, and your task can be completed very fast. With professionals, no writing task is too tough!

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Opinion The Washington Post guide to writing an opinion article

The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service.

Follow this story and more by signing up for national breaking news email alerts.

Each month, The Washington Post publishes dozens of op-eds from guest authors. These articles — written by subject-matter experts, politicians, journalists and other people with something interesting to say — provide a diversity of voices and perspectives for our readers.

The information and tips below are meant to demystify our selection and editing process, and to help you sharpen your argument before submitting an op-ed of your own.

Sample WR 120 Assignment: Op-ed

Use, or adapt, the following to structure an op-ed (or “guest essay”) assignment as an alternative genre assignment to an academic paper in WR 120 or another class.

To analyze one or more model op-eds; to argue effectively for a point or claim in the context of an op-ed, while providing evidence and considering the needs of your readers; to reflect on the similarities and differences between op-eds and academic papers in terms of argument, structure, and style.

argument-driven paper; genre; claim

Part 1: Pre-writing–Activate background knowledge and analyze the genre

• In your own words, what’s an op-ed?
• What was your previous exposure to this genre?
• What other genres beyond an academic essay is it similar to, and in what ways?
• What other genres beyond an academic essay is it different from, and in what ways?
• What is potentially interesting about writing an op-ed?
• What is potentially challenging about writing one?
• Who is the author, beyond their name? How is the author’s identity relevant to their topic and/or argument?
• What periodical published this op-ed? What might that suggest about the intended audience?
• What specific sub-topic does the op-ed address, and what is the author’s argument about this topic?
• How does the author begin (what strategies)?
• How does the author use evidence (what strategies)?
• How does the author end (what strategies)?
• How would you characterize the author’s tone, diction, and/or style? What connections are there between these elements and the author’s argument and/or audience?
• Share the op-ed you found with the entire class or a small group, and discuss your group’s op-eds together after having read or skimmed each: What struck you about these op-eds, taken together as a group? What do you notice about them as a genre?
• Discuss the background material on op-eds that you read in preparation for this assignment: What were some useful tips for writing op-eds that you and your groupmates encountered?
• Think about how you feel as you prepare to write an op-ed of your own: What is exciting about the process? What seems challenging about it? What ideas do you have for how to get started?

Part 2: Write and revise

• Write a 700-1000-word (hard limits on both ends) essay appropriate for the op-ed or “guest essay” genre.
• Address a specific aspect of our topic that is both important and timely (you might need to argue for one or both of those qualities, as they may not be obvious to your readers).
• Make a specific, unique, well-supported, and logical argument about your topic, quoting from, summarizing, and/or referring to at least one of the authors we have read and discussed this semester, in addition to any other examples, evidence, or personal experiences you wish to include. Hint: Keep track of all the sources and websites you are looking at as you think more about your topic. Some of these you might want to link to from the text of your op-ed.
• Use key features of the op-ed genre that we have discussed in class, including a strong opening, short and punchy paragraphing, an acknowledgment of alternative points of view, and a “should” statement near the end of your essay.
• Consider your intended audience when making rhetorical decisions, such as about how much background information to include, what kind of counter-arguments to address, or what tone and what kind of diction to use.
• Share your paper in storyboard and/or draft form with your classmates , discussing each other’s work in light of what you know about the op-ed genre and how effectively each essay communicates its point to its audience.
• Revise your essay, working on your headline and author “blurb” and your acknowledgment of sources ( fact-checking memo ) as you go.

Part 3: Final reflections–Reflect and transfer skills

• Look back at the process of writing your op-ed. Before you started writing it, what did you think would be hardest or most challenging about it, and why? How did your final experience match up to your expectations? What unanticipated challenges did you run into while writing/revising your op-eds, and how did you handle these?
• Think about what the most satisfying thing about writing your op-ed was, and why. What worked well in the final version of your essay, and how did you get to this point?
• Reflect on what it was like to write something other than an academic paper for this assignment. Would you like to write more op-eds, or other alternate genres (i.e., things other than standard academic papers)? Why or why not? What, in your opinion, are the two most important differences between op-eds and academic essays, and how did those differences affect your process of writing the op-ed?
• Consider that you will need to transition back to writing more academic papers in other classes: What two or more things did you work on in the process of writing your op-ed that can help you write stronger academic papers, and why? What strategy or tip that you used on the op-ed assignment is something that also works (or could work) for an academic paper?
• Write up your responses to these questions, and either turn them in with the final version of your op-ed or discuss them in small groups, as your instructor directs.

Additional Reading for Students

You may also want to ask students to review the submission requirements and process at The New York Times , The Los Angeles Times , or another publication. Note that some publications, such as The Guardian , do not accept submissions of completed pieces, but instead desire shorter “pitch” submissions; their requirements for pitches may also be useful to students and may form an additional scaffolding assignment along the way.

Additional useful links for background on the genre:

• Op-ed Writing: Tips and Tricks (The Op-ed Project)
• Writing Effective Op-eds (Duke)
• How to Write an Op-ed or Column (Harvard Kennedy School)
• A Guide to Op-eds and Original Content (BU Public Relations)
• Op-ed Template (California Medical Association, UCSF)

Downloadable copies here:

• Assignment sheet (above)
• Peer review sheet for drafts
• Author “blurb” activity
• Fact-checking memo directions and example

How To Write An Op-Ed

The Definitive Guide (2024)

What You're Going To Learn

In this post, you’re going to learn how to write an op-ed in 2024.

At Pinkston, we help develop, edit and place hundreds of op-eds a year for thought leaders, CEOs, politicians, professors and other experts in national publications ranging from The Wall Street Journal to The Washington Post and USA Today and more.

In this guide, we’ll be discussing what makes a successful op-ed and how you can improve your chances of getting yours published. It includes:

• Real-life examples
• Actionable, practical strategies
• Downloadable op-ed guide

So, if you want to have a better chance of getting your op-ed published in top-tier publications, then this guide is for you.

Let’s start with the basics:

Understand the Media.

What drives the news cycle? What are reporters looking for in a story? How can you break through the noise? Learn how you can tell your story clearly, effectively and uniquely.

• What is an Op-Ed?

Why Write an Op-Ed in 2024?

• Writing your Op-Ed
• The Writing Basics

Op-Ed Structure

Don't have time to read the whole guide now?

We'll send you a free digital copy so you can read it at your own convenience. Plus, we'll include a bonus chapter.

What is an Op-ed?

An op-ed is a short essay that expresses the opinion of an author on a particular subject.

The term “op-ed” comes from an opinion page created by the New York Times in 1970 , which meant, literally, “opposite the editorial page.” The term stuck, and today, op-eds are found everywhere from print publications to online media.

Are op-eds even a viable form of communication in a time when the traditional media landscape is shifting ?

In short: yes, if you do it correctly.

Writing an op-ed is an opportunity for you to write about the issues you care about or introduce an idea to new audiences. It’s also a chance for you to tell your story on your terms. In today’s increasingly fast-paced reporting environment, it’s often hard to make your voice heard through social media or television appearances alone. With an op-ed, you can craft a piece that will present your truth in an unfiltered medium and make a lasting impact on your audience.

Op-eds establish you as a respected voice in your field and open the door to new opportunities. As a matter of fact, successful op-ed writers have gone on to gain speaking, hosting and panelist gone on to gain speaking, hosting and panelist invitations, book deals and other opportunities.

Some people think writing an op-ed is just preaching to the choir. But a 2018 study by Yale and the Cato Institute showed that op-eds have a strong and lasting effect on people’s positions and can actually change their perspective on an issue – not just in the short term, but in the long term.

In the study, researchers split 3,500 people into two groups—a control group who did not read any op-eds but were asked about their positions on specific op-ed issues; and treatment groups of those who read op-eds from the NYT, WSJ, Newsweek and USA Today on various topics, like climate change and federal spending. Sixty-five to seventy percent of readers said they agreed with the author of the op-ed they read. Only 50% of the control group agreed with the author’s point.

The effect is not restricted to an uneducated audience, but it also goes for key opinion leaders. The study was also performed with a group of 2,000 “elite readers”: professors, politicians, journalists, thank, bankers and congressional staffers. The results were the same.

Writing Your Op-Ed

Step 1: choose your topic first; know your audience.

Before you start writing, you should identify your ideal publication and who the typical readers are for that publication.

Your piece might not end up in that specific publication, but it’s a good way to determine what the tone of the writing should be.

For example, if you’re writing for USA Today , you’ll be writing for a more general audience – anyone from a stay-at-home parent to a business traveler in a hotel.

If you want your piece to appear in The Washington Post , consider writing for politically-minded readers.

For the Wall Street Journal , your readers will probably be people well-versed in business and finance.

Read the outlets where you would like your op-ed to be published so you can get a sense of what topics they publish and what kind of writing they like.

STEP 2: MAKE IT CURRENT

Track the news for the topics that matter to you and think about tying your op-ed to something that’s happening in current events – for example, a political event, a study that’s just been released, or a change in the markets.

Besides news-of-the-day angles, you can also tie a piece to big-picture topics or challenges that are relevant to a modern audience – like taxes, retirement, or health care.

Remember that the news moves fast. If your op-ed is referencing something coming up – like a holiday or an election – try to write the piece as early as possible, before a publication’s slots on that topic fill up.

If you’re writing about something that has just happened, you’ll want to write and submit it as soon as possible – ideally within hours of an event’s occurrence. The ideal time to publish a piece about something that just happened is the day after the event.

In reality, your op-ed should fall into one of these three categories. Your title, or headline, should state this topic upfront so the reader knows exactly what to expect.

STEP 3: WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW AND HAVE AN OPINION

It’s important to pick a topic you’re passionate about – if you care about what you’re writing about, your readers will too.

This topic can be something related to your work, but it could also be something you came across in your day-to-day life. If you’re writing as a representative of a company or organization, think about the issues that might help strengthen that organization’s profile.

Next, think about what take on that topic might catch a reader’s eye.

This could be a provocative or unexpected view on a current issue, a solution to a problem or challenge people face, or a new thought on a neglected subject.

If it’s a news headline, what is your unique take on it? If it’s a more general topic, think about why this issue is relevant to people right now.

Regardless of your take on a topic, your piece should always have an opinion or an argument. An op-ed is not simply an educational or explanatory literature.

Remember that it’s okay to use the first-person “I” voice in an op-ed.

Here are some examples of op-ed topics:

• Carbon offsets are not enough. Leaders need to change the way we work to address climate change. (Fast Company)
• The Great Reshuffle is over. Welcome to the Big Stay. (Fortune)
• Why this modified pig heart transplant is a huge deal. (CNN)
• Nuclear power could save air quality. At what cost to the water? (LA Times)

THE WRITING BASICS

Op-eds don’t have to follow the same structure or pattern, but generally, this is a good road map to follow:

STEP ONE: THE LEDE

The lede, also known as a hook, is the opening sentence of your op-ed. It is what will hook your reader and should describe the event, situation or issue that prompted you to write your op-ed in the first place.

This can be a recent headline, a new statistic, a surprising fact, or a personal story or observation. You’ll want to keep this in the first paragraph.

Your lede could be:

• Something that just happened, is happening or is coming up in current events. For example: "After the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that a Colorado web developer may refuse to create wedding websites for same-sex couples, the implications of the decision are becoming clear." (AdAge)
• Recently-released research, for example, "A recent study by the Pew Research Center suggests that the content of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s seismic “I Have a Dream” speech is fading in Americans’ collective memory.” (USA Today)
• A generally relevant topic that people should take note of.
• A persona story or observation that’s relevant to your argument.

To read more examples of successful ledes, download our “How to Write an Op-Ed” guide.

STEP TWO: THE FIRST PARAGRAPH

Next, you’ll want to state your particular argument or opinion on this hook, and why it’s relevant to a reader. This should immediately follow the hook, and should be conveyed in one to two sentences within the first or second paragraph.

Here’s an example of a strong op-ed opening paragraph:

“A 40-year-old man arrives in my hospital’s emergency department, blue from not breathing. It takes several rounds of medication and ventilators to save his life. That same day on the medical wards, an overhead speaker pages a “rapid response” announcement to my elderly patient’s room; she cannot wake up. And down the hallway, a middle-age finance manager is causing a scene because he isn’t prescribed the IV medication he wants. All of these scenes happen on a daily basis, not just in my hospital but in those around the country. And all three of these patients’ ailments have the same cause: opioids .”

This op-ed, written by a physician about the opioid crisis, uses a storytelling tactic, setting the scene with strong details.

Another Example:

“More than 115 biotech companies have announced layoffs this year, on track to easily surpass 2022’s numbers. While this is not a new trend, the current trajectory is concerning, as it portends more difficult times ahead for the pharmaceutical industry–already in the midst of a major upheaval. It should also be another wake-up call to pharma executives: the old way of doing business needs to change–and urgently.”

In this op-ed, the author uses a statistic to establish authority, then tells you upfront what she’s going to talk about.

STEP THREE: SUPPORT YOUR OPINION

The middle, or body, of your op-ed is the part where you convince a reader why your argument or opinion is valid. This will take up the bulk of your piece and you should aim for 3-6 short paragraphs between your introduction and conclusion.

Each individual paragraph should be its own point and can utilize one of these example types.

You should always use specific examples to support your claims. These examples could be:

• Statistics (like results from research or surveys)
• Personal stories or anecdotes
• A story about a person affected by the issue
• Problems caused by the status quo
• Details about the solution you’re proposing
• Bullet points or a list, if you are offering multiple solutions

Here is an example of a supporting paragraph for an op-ed titled “As antisemitism rises, Holocaust education is a deeply personal topic for me” (USA Today)

“A 2018 MIT study found that false information travels six times faster on social media than the truth. This is alarming. It’s difficult enough for adults who are aware of what’s going on to make sense of it. Absent any protections, these young minds are navigating a minefield of information while still learning what truth is.”

Note how the author, who is arguing for the urgency of teaching students more dynamically about the Holocaust, establishes his authority by citing a reputable source.

Want to learn how to write an Op-Ed for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY or other national news outlet?

STEP FOUR: CONCLUSION

In your last paragraph or last two paragraphs, remind readers why this issue should matter to them.

Your conclusion is an opportunity for you to really drive home your point and leave the reader with something that they can walk away with. There’s a good chance that your last words will be the one that your reader remembers, so use them to their full potential.

You conclusion can include a recap of a solution you’re proposing, provide advice or a recommendation.

Here are some real-life examples of all three potential endings:

• A recap of the solution you’re proposing: “As the number of Holocaust survivors and citizens of the world who lived through World War II dwindles, it is through stories, objects and memories that the Jewish people’s legacy lives on. Survivors like me need to know that our experiences have meaning and that our community cares about what becomes of us. To make sure atrocities such as the Holocaust never happen again, we need to keep these stories alive.” (LA Times)
• Advice or a recommendation: “Hot spot policing works. Focusing surveillance and resources on the small group of individuals who commit most of the violence works. Employing street outreach workers to engage with these individuals also works, when properly implemented. The best time to redouble these strategies is when violence is already on the decline, giving the police and community groups more time to be proactive.” (USA Today)
• A call to action: “Anyone in either party who aspires to national leadership must resist these teachers unions and do what’s right—fight for families’ right to self-determination, especially for poor children trapped in failing schools. In Pennsylvania, we will never give up on this battle.” (The Wall Street Journal)

STEP 5: REVIEW YOUR OP-ED

Besides checking for spelling, grammar and length, review your op-ed to make sure it’s clear and concise. The best way to do this is to ask someone who isn’t an expert in your topic to read it. Does it make sense to them? Are there areas that need more clarity? Another great way to review a piece of writing is to read it out loud. Often, our brains overlook errors when we are reading silently; when we read something out loud, we can more easily catch errors or sentences that need adjustments.

Op-Ed rejected?

Download our free PDF and learn 6 common reasons why editors pass on op-ed submissions.

Remember, when you’re writing an op-ed, have these three important things:

• Relevant topic
• Your own opinion
• Evidence to back it up.

This is the start to crafting a well-written, interesting op-ed that will catch the eye of editors and readers alike.

Op-eds are a way to communicate your individual voice, personality and opinion. They are an opportunity for you to write about issues you care about, tell a personal story or introduce a provocative idea to new audiences. Despite changes in media, op-eds are still published by most major publications, and they continue to be one of the best tools for thought leadership today.

Your opinion matters. Learn how to get yours heard.

Download our free guide that includes a bonus chapter.

Your opinion matters; let it be heard.

Download our free PDF guide on how to write an op-ed and get an additional bonus chapter.

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How to Write an Impactful Op-Ed

by The Writing Workshop | Feb 8, 2024 | Persuasive Writing

What is an op-ed?

An op-ed goes by many names—an editorial, opinion piece, commentary, page op, etc.—but it is, in essence, a piece of writing within the public view that expresses an informed opinion focused on a specific topic or problem. Op-eds are fairly new as a writing style, first coming to prominence in the early 1900s as a way to attract the public back to print news in the age of radio. Today, they serve a similar niche; newspapers face a budget crisis as readership is at an all-time low, and op-eds offer a low-cost solution to providing daily content that engages readers in a way that more traditional journalism simply can’t.

The modern op-ed writer is not restricted by occupation either; professors, politicians, researchers, and professionals use them to take control of the narrative on a given topic rather than entrusting social media and search algorithms to do the job. There is also a rising trend in the sciences to compliment research with op-eds to address limitations in their work that can lead to pervasive misinterpretations.

For example, in early 2023, Cochrane, an influential organization that collects databases and reviews research, published an ambiguously worded review of RCT studies on masking and hand washing that led to gross misinterpretations of the study’s conclusions, even by one of its authors . Researchers and epidemiologists, including the editor in chief at Cochrane , were quick to point out that the study did not come to a conclusion due to a lack of evidence alongside glaring inadequacies in the review . Given the mistrust in science that has permeated from Covid-19 misinformation, academics continue to dispel the significance of the article months after its original publication .

Why does this matter? Well, just like in research writing, where you are one piece of a larger puzzle contributing to the cannon of knowledge on a given topic, op-ed writing is about making a small yet meaningful contribution to this cannon using persuasion. Unfortunately, many of the tools used to purvey a greater understanding can also be used to distort and mislead. While there is certainly something to be said of the severity and degree to which misinformation impacts the public in a digital age (in an op-ed, perhaps?), it is just an amplification of the truth’s dependence on the status quo; your job as an op-ed writer is to add nuance to widely held assumptions by offering alternative opinions, evidence, and interpretations.

So where do you begin? Well for one, you need some expertise on the topic you are writing about; persuading your audience to believe something you don’t understand yourself would be both unethical and a poor reflection of your abilities. You will also need to understand who you are writing to and what they care about, so let’s start there!

Identifying your audience

Good writing always has an audience, but writing to a large group of folks, each with their own unique needs and beliefs, can often be difficult. Your job in an op-ed is to speak to the aligned values and attitudes of your audience.

• Do you speak to what is most important to your audience?
• Is there a clear benefit to reading your piece?
• Do you present information in a way that is new and interesting to the audience?
• Does your audience have biases or preconceptions about the issue? Can you manage them?
• How do you want your audience to react to this piece?
• Is the language appropriate?

Successful op-eds also capitalize on what the audience may know (or not) about the topic.

• What does your audience already know about the topic?
• Is there a varying level of knowledge or familiarity with your topic?
• Does your audience “know” because they trust that someone does?
• What is new to your audience?
• Do you present new information in a way that is easy to understand?
• Why does your audience not know this information?

All writers struggle to understand their audiences, but for op-eds, it’s a little easier. Given the popularity of op-eds in most US newspapers, you can look to what other writers do in their pieces to engage readers—just remember that the point of an op-ed is to challenge a prominent belief or interpretation, and if you write only to those who share your views, you will lose the hearts and minds of those open to a critical dialogue on the topic.

For more on understanding your reader’s unique needs, check out our post below!

Choosing a role

Everyone from professional journalists to professors and politicians—including the president—writes op-eds. There are plenty of reasons someone would be compelled to write an op-ed, but we think it’s useful to divide them into three distinct roles, listed below, that a policy professional will find themselves in at one time or another.

The Witness

The Witness offers a firsthand account of the problem, whether they experienced it themselves or witnessed it in action. Witnesses focus on the material and human costs, but the true power of their opinion lies in their testimony, often speaking truth to power and serving up a distinctly human-centered narrative of what’s going on. Witnesses should focus on creating a strong narrative that is representative of the problem and conveys the cost of ignoring it.

The Practitioner

The Practitioner occupies an important space between witness and expert. The practitioner experiences the problem secondhand—through aid or non-profit work, for example—but uses their insider knowledge to further educate their audience on its root causes, often moving from problem identification to a solutions-focused narrative. Practitioners are challenged to create short, effective narratives followed by evidence-based arguments to contextualize their observations; they should lean into their role and the credibility it provides but be cautious in appealing to themselves as an authority in place of evidence.

The Expert can be both a witness and/or practitioner (a practicing epidemiologist, for example), but their power lies in their extensive knowledge of the problem and the landscape in which it occurs. While it may seem easy for the experts, they are plagued with the “curse of knowledge” and challenged to write about complex ideas in way that an average reader will understand. Experts should lean into their extensive knowledge but be careful in presenting too many contingencies, caveats, and abstractions. Experts tend to jump around in their op-eds, which can often disorient a reader, so having a second set of eyes that represents their intended audience will always be helpful.

Once you’ve identified where you fall within this spectrum, it’s time to begin developing your argument.

The nuts and bolts of an op-ed

Structurally, an op-ed can be somewhat free-form, and there will be a lot of variation between different schools of writers (i.e. researchers, academics, journalists, activists, etc.), but a deductive structure is always a great starting point, even if you alter it after your essentials are in place. To start, focus on creating adequate context for your argument in the first paragraph—making sure to provide your reader with the essentials—and then move on to crafting a strong connection between that background information and your argument in the second paragraph. From there, go point by point, keeping in mind that journalists use line breaks more often than academic writers, dividing each piece of evidence along with its analysis into individual paragraphs rather than adjoining them to their topic sentence. For more on deductive structure, read our post below!

Every op-ed should have a clear purpose that can be intuited in the first few paragraphs. However, the central claim of an op-ed often differs from an academic thesis in that it requires some action on your reader’s part. You may want them to consider, reconsider, deny, approve, march, vote, or a whole host of other activities, but your argument should always move toward a call to action. Aside from being persuasive, your piece should also:

Those writing for monthly publications will have a little more flexibility here, but your central claim should have some degree of relation to what is going on right now . Maybe it’s that the problem has finally reached its tipping point, or that some event has made it front and center in the public eye, but whatever it is, it should activate existing knowledge in your audience. Regularly reading the news will be essential to your success in the op-ed space as readers are simply uninterested in rehashing the issues of the past or predictions of the future unless they are pertinent today.

Start with a leading sentence

Traditional journalists often write a setting sentence to start their feature pieces (i.e. “John Doe sits on his front porch looking at his latest bill from the doctor.”), but you have much more flexibility in an op-ed. The goal in your leading sentence should be to entice your audience into reading your piece while providing them with a general sense of the topic or problem. Check out a few examples below (UChicago students have unlimited access to the New York Times via the library page).

• The air pollution in Emma Lockridge’s community in Detroit was often so bad, she had to wear a surgical mask inside her house.
• Tyler Parish thinks of himself as “the last dinosaur.”
• What comes to mind when you think of a mom-and-pop small business: A hardware store? A diner? A family-run clothing store or small-scale supermarket?

Get to the point

Timing is everything in an op-ed. If you present your case for change too early, the reader might not have the background knowledge they need to understand or support it; however, if you wait too long, they may lose interest. Depending on your topic, your point—one main argument per piece being the standard—may come sooner or later, but it should always be clearly stated by the halfway mark.

In this recent piece by Peter Coy on commercial real estate in the New York Times , notice how quickly the author presents his point. He uses the first paragraph to contextualize new information that will be familiar to the audience while attaching the issue to the larger concern of a potential banking crisis, then uses the second paragraph to present his argument (skepticism in the Fed’s approach to inflation as it pertains to commercial real estate). The New York Times has covered domestic inflation on a daily basis, so Coy is both capitalizing on this existing knowledge while encouraging the reader to further invest by presenting nuance and evidence for it. While this piece is heavier on the jargon than we would recommend, it is to be expected when targeting a more specific group.

In contrast, this piece on antitrust law by the editorial board of the Washington Post uses the first few paragraphs to explain a more complex issue that the reader may not be familiar with given the current direction of the FTC. Their main claim—that this is a classic example of antitrust enforcement—comes later because readers may not understand how Google’s ad stack functions nor the alleged monopolistic behavior within that space.

Create a realistic call to action

While a policy maker, organization, or politician may be the one who implements change, be sure to include your audience in the call to action as they will be essential in pushing your decision-maker to action. For example, you might want a senator to support a bill that you think will institute change; in this case, you should think of the voters in their district and how you can make the value of your argument resonate with them through a boycott, petition, or other activist work. 

Adding counterpoints to increase credibility

Sometimes it helps to present an argument against your own, which can earn credibility from a skeptical audience or consideration from one that is potentially hostile. A counterpoint assures readers that you’ve considered both sides and wrestled with discordant data or situations that don’t neatly fit the narrative thus far. Basic and fair counterpoints rhetorically position you to make your strongest case before the close. Avoid choosing a weak or widely discredited claim as a counterpoint—often referred to as a “strawman” argument—and instead focus on summarizing the most prominent or pervasive criticism of your main point.

The rebuttal, on the other hand, refutes the counterpoint while introducing a subclaim that directly addresses it. In the case that a previous claim already addresses the counterpoint, do not repeat it verbatim; instead, expand on that point’s scope with additional analysis or evidence to accommodate the counterpoint.

Sign posting language will be a useful tool in writing a compelling and concise counterargument, so make use of language like:

• Some might argue that . . . However . . .
• While it can be said that . . .
• There is a widely held belief that . . .  but . . .

Counterarguments (the counterpoint plus the rebuttal) should come at the end of your piece, right before the conclusion. If your piece contains a call to action, make sure to set yourself up for success in your counterargument (a good sign post to add in this case is “that is why . . .”).

Counterarguments can also be the focus of an op-ed when a belief about a given topic has become fallacious or dangerous to public discourse—a phenomena all too common in our current age. Politicians will often use these longform critiques to respond to opponents during election cycles, but in light of controversial bills and rulings within the United States, many have stepped up to the soapbox to dispel common myths and misinformation about a whole host of issues.

We think a recent op-ed on the value of the humanities in higher education by Professor John Keck did this exceptionally. Notice how he uses his first paragraph to build context through timeliness, capitalizing on the recent comments surrounding Texas’s HCR 64, an immigration bill, and their unwarranted criticism of higher education. As he progresses through his critique, he gradually reorients his reader to his home state and the work that he does there, navigating his role of the expert while utilizing the tools of the practitioner to give his narrative a distinctly human focus.

Using a behavioral framework to better persuade your audience

Knowing your target audience’s priorities, values, and concerns will help you craft an argument that is most likely to resonate with them. To better analyze how a given policy narrative might strike our potential readers, we can use insights from social-psychological theories like the Moral Foundations Theory, which was developed by Jonathan Haidt and colleagues to explain how individuals’ moral values are shaped by their cultural, social, and evolutionary contexts. Moral Foundations Theory won’t reveal exactly how your audience will react to your argument for change, but no theory can. At the Writing Workshop, we like to think of these social-psychological theories as additional tools in your kit to help you make quicker and better informed decisions about the arguments, evidence, and language you use within your piece rather than empirical frameworks you can apply with certainty.

If you are interested in acquiring other tools to help you become more persuasive, we recommend checking out the work of Paul Slovic and Daniel Kahneman as well. For further reading on Moral Foundations Theory, check out our post below:

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130 New Prompts for Argumentative Writing

Questions on everything from mental health and sports to video games and dating. Which ones inspire you to take a stand?

By The Learning Network

Note: We have an updated version of this list, with 300 new argumentative writing prompts .

What issues do you care most about? What topics do you find yourself discussing passionately, whether online, at the dinner table, in the classroom or with your friends?

In Unit 5 of our free yearlong writing curriculum and related Student Editorial Contest , we invite students to research and write about the issues that matter to them, whether that’s Shakespeare , health care , standardized testing or being messy .

But with so many possibilities, where does one even begin? Try our student writing prompts.

In 2017, we compiled a list of 401 argumentative writing prompts , all drawn from our daily Student Opinion column . Now, we’re rounding up 130 more we’ve published since then ( available here as a PDF ). Each prompt links to a free Times article as well as additional subquestions that can help you think more deeply about it.

You might use this list to inspire your own writing and to find links to reliable resources about the issues that intrigue you. But even if you’re not participating in our contest, you can use these prompts to practice the kind of low-stakes writing that can help you hone your argumentation skills.

So scroll through the list below with questions on everything from sports and mental health to dating and video games and see which ones inspire you to take a stand.

Please note: Many of these prompts are still open to comment by students 13 and up.

Technology & Social Media

1. Do Memes Make the Internet a Better Place? 2. Does Online Public Shaming Prevent Us From Being Able to Grow and Change? 3. How Young Is Too Young to Use Social Media? 4. Should the Adults in Your Life Be Worried by How Much You Use Your Phone? 5. Is Your Phone Love Hurting Your Relationships? 6. Should Kids Be Social Media Influencers? 7. Does Grammar Still Matter in the Age of Twitter? 8. Should Texting While Driving Be Treated Like Drunken Driving? 9. How Do You Think Technology Affects Dating?

10. Are Straight A’s Always a Good Thing? 11. Should Schools Teach You How to Be Happy? 12. How Do You Think American Education Could Be Improved? 13. Should Schools Test Their Students for Nicotine and Drug Use? 14. Can Social Media Be a Tool for Learning and Growth in Schools? 15. Should Facial Recognition Technology Be Used in Schools? 16. Should Your School Day Start Later? 17. How Should Senior Year in High School Be Spent? 18. Should Teachers Be Armed With Guns? 19. Is School a Place for Self-Expression? 20. Should Students Be Punished for Not Having Lunch Money? 21. Is Live-Streaming Classrooms a Good Idea? 22. Should Gifted and Talented Education Be Eliminated? 23. What Are the Most Important Things Students Should Learn in School? 24. Should Schools Be Allowed to Censor Student Newspapers? 25. Do You Feel Your School and Teachers Welcome Both Conservative and Liberal Points of View? 26. Should Teachers and Professors Ban Student Use of Laptops in Class? 27. Should Schools Teach About Climate Change? 28. Should All Schools Offer Music Programs? 29. Does Your School Need More Money? 30. Should All Schools Teach Cursive? 31. What Role Should Textbooks Play in Education? 32. Do Kids Need Recess?

College & Career

33. What Is Your Reaction to the College Admissions Cheating Scandal? 34. Is the College Admissions Process Fair? 35. Should Everyone Go to College? 36. Should College Be Free? 37. Are Lavish Amenities on College Campuses Useful or Frivolous? 38. Should ‘Despised Dissenters’ Be Allowed to Speak on College Campuses? 39. How Should the Problem of Sexual Assault on Campuses Be Addressed? 40. Should Fraternities Be Abolished? 41. Is Student Debt Worth It?

Mental & Physical Health

42. Should Students Get Mental Health Days Off From School? 43. Is Struggle Essential to Happiness? 44. Does Every Country Need a ‘Loneliness Minister’? 45. Should Schools Teach Mindfulness? 46. Should All Children Be Vaccinated? 47. What Do You Think About Vegetarianism? 48. Do We Worry Too Much About Germs? 49. What Advice Should Parents and Counselors Give Teenagers About Sexting? 50. Do You Think Porn Influences the Way Teenagers Think About Sex?

Race & Gender

51. How Should Parents Teach Their Children About Race and Racism? 52. Is America ‘Backsliding’ on Race? 53. Should All Americans Receive Anti-Bias Education? 54. Should All Companies Require Anti-Bias Training for Employees? 55. Should Columbus Day Be Replaced With Indigenous Peoples Day? 56. Is Fear of ‘The Other’ Poisoning Public Life? 57. Should the Boy Scouts Be Coed? 58. What Is Hard About Being a Boy?

59. Can You Separate Art From the Artist? 60. Are There Subjects That Should Be Off-Limits to Artists, or to Certain Artists in Particular? 61. Should Art Come With Trigger Warnings? 62. Should Graffiti Be Protected? 63. Is the Digital Era Improving or Ruining the Experience of Art? 64. Are Museums Still Important in the Digital Age? 65. In the Age of Digital Streaming, Are Movie Theaters Still Relevant? 66. Is Hollywood Becoming More Diverse? 67. What Stereotypical Characters Make You Cringe? 68. Do We Need More Female Superheroes? 69. Do Video Games Deserve the Bad Rap They Often Get? 70. Should Musicians Be Allowed to Copy or Borrow From Other Artists? 71. Is Listening to a Book Just as Good as Reading It? 72. Is There Any Benefit to Reading Books You Hate?

73. Should Girls and Boys Sports Teams Compete in the Same League? 74. Should College Athletes Be Paid? 75. Are Youth Sports Too Competitive? 76. Is It Selfish to Pursue Risky Sports Like Extreme Mountain Climbing? 77. How Should We Punish Sports Cheaters? 78. Should Technology in Sports Be Limited? 79. Should Blowouts Be Allowed in Youth Sports? 80. Is It Offensive for Sports Teams and Their Fans to Use Native American Names, Imagery and Gestures?

81. Is It Wrong to Focus on Animal Welfare When Humans Are Suffering? 82. Should Extinct Animals Be Resurrected? If So, Which Ones? 83. Are Emotional-Support Animals a Scam? 84. Is Animal Testing Ever Justified? 85. Should We Be Concerned With Where We Get Our Pets? 86. Is This Exhibit Animal Cruelty or Art?

Parenting & Childhood

87. Who Should Decide Whether a Teenager Can Get a Tattoo or Piercing? 88. Is It Harder to Grow Up in the 21st Century Than It Was in the Past? 89. Should Parents Track Their Teenager’s Location? 90. Is Childhood Today Over-Supervised? 91. How Should Parents Talk to Their Children About Drugs? 92. What Should We Call Your Generation? 93. Do Other People Care Too Much About Your Post-High School Plans? 94. Do Parents Ever Cross a Line by Helping Too Much With Schoolwork? 95. What’s the Best Way to Discipline Children? 96. What Are Your Thoughts on ‘Snowplow Parents’? 97. Should Stay-at-Home Parents Be Paid? 98. When Do You Become an Adult?

Ethics & Morality

99. Why Do Bystanders Sometimes Fail to Help When They See Someone in Danger? 100. Is It Ethical to Create Genetically Edited Humans? 101. Should Reporters Ever Help the People They Are Covering? 102. Is It O.K. to Use Family Connections to Get a Job? 103. Is $1 Billion Too Much Money for Any One Person to Have? 104. Are We Being Bad Citizens If We Don’t Keep Up With the News? 105. Should Prisons Offer Incarcerated People Education Opportunities? 106. Should Law Enforcement Be Able to Use DNA Data From Genealogy Websites for Criminal Investigations? 107. Should We Treat Robots Like People?

Government & Politics

108. Does the United States Owe Reparations to the Descendants of Enslaved People? 109. Do You Think It Is Important for Teenagers to Participate in Political Activism? 110. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? 111. What Should Lawmakers Do About Guns and Gun Violence? 112. Should Confederate Statues Be Removed or Remain in Place? 113. Does the U.S. Constitution Need an Equal Rights Amendment? 114. Should National Monuments Be Protected by the Government? 115. Should Free Speech Protections Include Self Expression That Discriminates? 116. How Important Is Freedom of the Press? 117. Should Ex-Felons Have the Right to Vote? 118. Should Marijuana Be Legal? 119. Should the United States Abolish Daylight Saving Time? 120. Should We Abolish the Death Penalty? 121. Should the U.S. Ban Military-Style Semiautomatic Weapons? 122. Should the U.S. Get Rid of the Electoral College? 123. What Do You Think of President Trump’s Use of Twitter? 124. Should Celebrities Weigh In on Politics? 125. Why Is It Important for People With Different Political Beliefs to Talk to Each Other?

Other Questions

126. Should the Week Be Four Days Instead of Five? 127. Should Public Transit Be Free? 128. How Important Is Knowing a Foreign Language? 129. Is There a ‘Right Way’ to Be a Tourist? 130. Should Your Significant Other Be Your Best Friend?

The New York Times

The learning network | 200 prompts for argumentative writing.

200 Prompts for Argumentative Writing

Updated, March 2, 2017 | We published an updated version of this list, “401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing,” as well as a companion piece, “650 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing.” We also now have a PDF of these 200 prompts .

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and get five new Student Opinion questions delivered to you every week.

What issues do you care most about? What topics do you find yourself discussing most passionately, whether online, at the dinner table, in the classroom or with your friends?

Our annual Student Editorial Contest invites you to write an evidence-based persuasive piece on an issue that matters to you. To help jump-start your brainstorming, we have gathered a list of 200 writing prompts from our daily Student Opinion feature that invite you to take a stand.

Though you won’t be limited to these topics for the contest, you’ll see that our list touches on every aspect of modern life, from politics to sports, culture, education and technology. We hope the range inspires you, and we hope the fact that each question links to at least one related Times article gives you a starting point for finding evidence.

So skim the list below to think about the topic you’d most like to take on.

For more information, here are links to our spring 2014 editorial-writing contest , a list of winners from that contest and a related lesson plan on argumentative writing .

• Is Cheating Getting Worse?
• Should Students Be Able to Grade Their Teachers?
• Does Your School Hand Out Too Many A’s?
• Should Middle School Students Be Drug Tested?
• Should Reading and Math Be Taught in Gym Class Too?
• How Seriously Should We Take Standardized Tests?
• How Well Do You Think Standardized Tests Measure Your Abilities?
• Do You Spend Too Much Time Preparing for Standardized Tests?
• Should Schools Offer Cash Bonuses for Good Test Scores?
• Should We Rethink How Long Students Spend in High School?
• Do Schools Provide Students With Enough Opportunities to Be Creative?
• What Are You Really Learning at School?
• How Important Is Arts Education?
• Does Gym Help Students Perform Better in All Their Classes?
• Who Should Be Able to See Students’ Records?
• Are Children of Illegal Immigrants Entitled to a Public Education?
• What Is the Right Amount of Group Work in School?
• Is Your School Day Too Short?
• Do You Think a Longer School Calendar Is a Good Idea?
• Should the Dropout Age Be Raised?
• Should Students Be Allowed to Skip Senior Year of High School?
• How Does Your School Deal With Students Who Misbehave?
• Should Schools Be Allowed to Use Corporal Punishment?
• How Big a Problem Is Bullying or Cyberbullying in Your School or Community?
• How Should Schools Address Bullying?
• Should Schools Put Tracking Devices in Students’ ID Cards?
• What Do You Think of Grouping Students by Ability in Schools?
• Do We Need a New Way to Teach Math?
• Does Class Size Matter?
• Should All Students Get Equal Space in a Yearbook?
• Is Prom Worth It?
• How Important Are Parent-Teacher Conferences?
• Should All Children Be Able to Go to Preschool?
• Should Colleges Use Admissions Criteria Other Than SAT Scores and Grades?
• What Criteria Should Be Used in Awarding Scholarships for College?
• Do You Support Affirmative Action?
• Do College Rankings Matter?
• How Necessary Is a College Education?
• Should Engineers Pay Less for College Than English Majors?

Technology and Social Media

• Are the Web Filters at Your School Too Restrictive?
• Does Technology Make Us More Alone?
• Are You Distracted by Technology?
• Do Apps Help You or Just Waste Your Time?
• Do You Spend Too Much Time on Smart Phones Playing ‘Stupid Games’?
• Has Facebook Lost Its Edge?
• Does Facebook Ever Make You Feel Bad?
• Should What You Say on Facebook Be Grounds for Getting Fired?
• Should People Be Allowed to Obscure Their Identities Online?
• What Should the Punishment Be for Acts of Cyberbullying?
• Is Online Learning as Good as Face-to-Face Learning?
• Do Your Teachers Use Technology Well?
• Should Tablet Computers Become the Primary Way Students Learn in Class?
• Can Cellphones Be Educational Tools?
• Should Computer Games Be Used for Classroom Instruction?
• How Young Is Too Young for an iPhone?
• Should Companies Collect Information About You?
• Would You Trade Your Paper Books for Digital Versions?
• Are Digital Photographs Too Plentiful to Be Meaningful?
• Do You Worry We Are Filming Too Much?
• Would You Want a Pair of Google’s Computer Glasses?
• How Would You Feel About a Computer Grading Your Essays?
• What Role Will Robots Play in Our Future?
• How Many Text Messages Are Too Many?
• How Much Do You Trust Online Reviews?

Arts and Media: TV, Music, Video Games and Literature

• Why Do We Like to Watch Rich People on TV and in the Movies?
• Do TV Shows Like ‘16 and Pregnant’ Promote or Discourage Teenage Pregnancy?
• Does TV Capture the Diversity of America Yet?
• Is TV Too White?
• Is TV Stronger Than Ever, or Becoming Obsolete?
• Does Reality TV Promote Dangerous Stereotypes?
• What Current Musicians Do You Think Will Stand the Test of Time?
• What Artists or Bands of Today Are Destined for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
• What Musician, Actor or Author Should Be a Superstar, but Hasn’t Quite Made It Yet?
• Will Musical Training Make You More Successful?
• Should Video Games Be Considered a Sport?
• Should Stores Sell Violent Video Games to Minors?
• Can a Video Game Be a Work of Art?
• Do Violent Video Games Make People More Violent in Real Life?
• When Should You Feel Guilty for Killing Zombies?
• What Game Would You Like to Redesign?
• What Were the Best Movies You Saw in the Past Year?
• To What Writer Would You Award a Prize?
• Do You Prefer Your Children’s Book Characters Obedient or Contrary?
• Where Is the Line Between Truth and Fiction?
• Can Graffiti Ever Be Considered Art?
• Do We Need Art in Our Lives?
• What Makes a Good Commercial?
• Why Did a Cheerios Ad Attract So Many Angry Comments Online?
• Does Pop Culture Deserve Serious Study?

Gender Issues

• Do Parents Have Different Hopes and Standards for Their Sons Than for Their Daughters?
• Is School Designed More for Girls Than Boys?
• Is There Too Much Pressure on Girls to Have ‘Perfect’ Bodies?
• How Much Pressure Do Boys Face to Have the Perfect Body?
• Do Photoshopped Images Make You Feel Bad About Your Own Looks?
• Is It O.K. for Men and Boys to Comment on Women and Girls on the Street?
• What Should We Do to Fight Sexual Violence Against Young Women?
• How Do You Feel About Rihanna and Chris Brown Getting Back Together?
• Do Fraternities Promote Misogyny?
• Why Aren’t There More Girls in Leadership Roles?
• Why Aren’t More Girls Choosing to Pursue Careers in Math and Science?
• Should Women Be Allowed to Fight on the Front Lines Alongside Men?
• Do You Believe in Equal Rights for Women and Men?
• Are Women Better at Compromising and Collaborating?
• Do Boys Have Less Intense Friendships Than Girls?

Sports and Athletics

• If Football Is So Dangerous to Players, Should We Be Watching It?
• Should Parents Let Their Children Play Football?
• Should College Football Players Get Paid?
• When Do Pranks Cross the Line to Become Bullying?
• Has Baseball Lost Its Cool?
• Are Some Youth Sports Too Intense?
• Is It Offensive for Sports Teams to Use Native American Names and Mascots?
• Where Should Colleges and Sports Teams Draw the Line in Selling Naming Rights?
• Should Colleges Fund Wellness Programs Instead of Sports?
• Is Cheerleading a Sport?
• How Big a Deal Is It That an N.B.A. Player Came Out as Gay?
• Should There Be Stricter Rules About How Coaches Treat Their Players?
• Should Athletes Who Dope Have to Forfeit Their Titles and Medals?
• Should Sports Betting Be Legal Everywhere?
• Should Home-Schoolers Be Allowed to Play Public School Sports?
• Would You Want a Bike Share Program for Your Community?

Politics and the Legal System

• What Local Problems Do You Think Your Mayor Should Try to Solve?
• If You Were Governor of Your State, How Would You Spend a Budget Surplus?
• When Is the Use of Military Force Justified?
• What Is More Important: Our Privacy or National Security?
• California Notice
• Should the U.S. Be Spying on Its Friends?
• Do You Trust Your Government?
• What Do You Think of the Police Tactic of Stop-and-Frisk?
• Do Rich People Get Off Easier When They Break the Law?
• Should Rich People Have to Pay More Taxes?
• Do Laws That Ban Offensive Words Make the World a Better Place?
• Is It Principled, or Irresponsible, for Politicians to Threaten a Shutdown?
• Do Leaders Have Moral Obligations?
• Do Great Leaders Have to Be Outgoing?
• How Should We Prevent Future Mass Shootings?
• Should Guns Be Permitted on College Campuses?
• Would You Feel Safer With Armed Guards Patrolling Your School?
• What Is Your Relationship With Guns?
• Do You Support or Oppose the Death Penalty?
• When Should Juvenile Offenders Receive Life Sentences?

Parenting and Childhood

• Do We Give Children Too Many Trophies?
• When Do You Become an Adult?

When Should You Be Able to Buy Cigarettes, Drink Alcohol, Vote, Drive and Fight in Wars?

• Should the Morning-After Pill Be Sold Over the Counter to People Under 17?
• Should Birth Control Pills Be Available to Teenage Girls Without a Prescription?
• Is Modern Culture Ruining Childhood?
• Are Adults Hurting Young Children by Pushing Them to Achieve?
• How, and by Whom, Should Children Be Taught Appropriate Behavior?
• What Can Older People Learn From Your Generation?
• Do ‘Shame and Blame’ Work to Change Teenage Behavior?
• How Should Children Be Taught About Puberty and Sex?
• Is Dating a Thing of the Past?
• How Should Parents Handle a Bad Report Card?
• Should Children Be Allowed to Wear Whatever They Want?
• How Should Educators and Legislators Deal With Minors Who ‘Sext’?
• Do You Think Child Stars Have It Rough?

Health and Nutrition

• Is Smoking Still a Problem Among Teenagers?
• Are Antismoking Ads Effective?
• Is Drinking and Driving Still a Problem for Teenagers?
• Do You Think a Healthier School Lunch Program Is a Lost Cause?
• How Concerned Are You About Where Your Food Comes From?
• Is It Ethical to Eat Meat?
• Do You Prefer Your Tacos ‘Authentic’ or ‘Appropriated’?
• Should the Government Limit the Size of Sugary Drinks?
• Should Marijuana Be Legal?
• Should Students Be Required to Take Drug Tests?

Personal Character and Morality Questions

• Do Bystanders Have a Responsibility to Intervene When There is Trouble?
• Should You Care About the Health and Safety of Those Making Your Clothing?
• Can Money Buy You Happiness?
• Does Buying and Accumulating More and More Stuff Make Us Happier?
• Are We Losing the Art of Listening?
• Do People Complain Too Much?
• Can Kindness Become Cool?
• Which Is More Important: Talent or Hard Work?
• How Important Is Keeping Your Cool?
• When Should You Compromise?
• Is Your Generation More Self-Centered Than Earlier Generations?
• Can You Be Good Without God?
• Have Curse Words Become So Common They Have Lost Their Shock Value?
• What Words or Phrases Should Be Retired in 2014?
• What Words or Phrases Do You Think Are Overused?
• Should Couples Live Together Before Marriage?
• How Important Do You Think It Is to Marry Someone With the Same Religion?
• How Long Is It O.K. to Linger in a Cafe or Restaurant?
• Does Keeping a Messy Desk Make People More Creative?
• How Important Is Keeping a Clean House?
• Should Scientists Try to Help People Beat Old Age So We Can Live Longer Lives?
• Given Unlimited Resources, What Scientific or Medical Problem Would You Investigate?
• When Is It O.K. to Replace Human Limbs With Technology?
• Do You Think Life Exists — or Has Ever Existed — Somewhere Besides Earth?
• Should Fertilized Eggs Be Given Legal ‘Personhood’?
• How Concerned Are You About Climate Change?

Other Questions

• Is It Wrong for a Newspaper to Publish a Front-Page Photo of a Man About to Die?
• What Causes Should Philanthropic Groups Finance?
• Should Charities Focus More on America?
• Should the Private Lives of Famous People Be Off Limits?
• Did a Newspaper Act Irresponsibly by Publishing the Addresses of Gun Owners?
• Would You Rather Work From Home or in an Office?
• What Time Should Black Friday Sales Start?
• Do You Shop at Locally Owned Businesses?
• How Much Does Your Neighborhood Define Who You Are?

Comments are no longer being accepted.

Argumentative prompts – 200

So i was thinking about doing a topic of Nuclear War for school and i am not able to take and find it on here does anyone know were i can find it?

Many of these questions aren’t at all appropriate for someone writing a persuasive speech. Take the question about life existing other than on earth. The only argument that should convince anyone that life exists other than on earth would use definitive scientific evidence. And if we had that, there wouldn’t be an argument in the first place.

Regarding the section on Gender Issues:

Where are the questions regarding transgender teens or adults? Where are the questions regarding sexuality? Where are the questions regarding whether or not gender roles have an impact on teens? Where are the questions regarding society’s view on the LGBT(etc.) community?

Hi Tasha, We have touched on all of these issues on the blog numerous times, but for this collection of questions, we only highlighted those asked in a way that most naturally led to argumentative writing. But, for example, we have a whole collection on teaching about LGBT issues here, and we ask questions and run lesson plans around aspects of teenage sexuality regularly. (For instance, just off the top of my head, here , here , here , here , here, here , here and here .) But we’re always open to suggestions, so let us know what else you’d like to see. –Katherine

I have another persuasive argument-should students have recess in junior high?

Do Photoshopped Images Make You Feel Bad About Your Own Looks? Have you ever seen an image of a model in a magazine and thought to yourself “wow, I wish I looked that remarkable”? You are not the only one. They are perfect, however, the images we view of these women and men are 99.9% not how they actually look. They use a tremendous amount of photoshop to create a look they could not even achieve themselves. Yes, looking at these images have an outcome of someone staring unhappily in the mirror, not seeing perfect skin and chiseled abs. Looking at perfect people in pictures for hours and then looking at yourself, you seem to come across every blemish and fault that the models in the pictures did not have. Having the idea that you could never look as flawless as the unreal people in magazines does have the power to lower your self-esteem. You do not really know how bad you feel about your looks until you see teeth as bright as the sun, the perfect coke bottle shape, and the flawless sun kissed skin in your favorite magazine. Photoshopped images make you look and feel better, but then again it portrays an unrealistic person that is hardly yourself. Everyone has flaws and with this photoshop madness, the flaws are erased. With no flaws in these images there is no limit to how far someone will go to get that level of perfection, even though that level is unachievable because a great deal of lightening, smoothing, and shrinking has been added to the image. The more photoshop is being used to clear up insecurities; the more it is just adding to ours. If you see before and after photos, you will realize that people in the photoshopped images are not as perfect as they claim to be. And we should not feel bad about ourselves because of this, but we do. Seeing how a size 10 model can be photoshopped down to a size 1 is ridiculous. How can wrinkles vanish inconspicuously, uneven skin tones be evened out, dark circles erased, and stretch marks blurred? In real life this is not possible to be completely without a blemish or flaw. So, when we see all of these photoshopped images we start putting our heads down in shame knowing we cannot look as impeccable as these fake images display. Altering images to try and fit the society’s way of how people should look is nonsense. We will never look like that and it is just making people self-esteem worse because we will go to the end of the world and back to figure out every secret to acquire glowing skin and youthful looking skin like the individuals in our magazine. But the secret is all in the image, it is a little thing called photoshop and it is ruining the way we look at ourselves.

Do Photoshopped Images Make You Feel Bad About Your Own Looks? Have you ever seen an image of Kim Kardashian in a magazine and thought to yourself “wow, I wish I looked that remarkable”? You are not the only one to think in this fantasizing way. Kim is perfect; however, the images we view of her are 99.9% retouched. Photographers use a tremendous amount of photoshop to create a look of pure perfection they could not achieve themselves. Yes, looking at these images has an outcome of staring unhappily in the mirror, not seeing perfect skin and chiseled abs. Looking at perfect people in pictures for hours and then looking at yourself, you seem to come across every blemish and fault that the models in the pictures did not have. Having the idea buried in your mind that you could never look as flawless as the unreal people in magazines does have the power to lower your self-esteem. You do not really know how bad you feel about your looks until you see teeth as bright as the sun, the perfect coke bottle shape, and the flawless sun kissed skin on your idle, in your favorite magazine. Photoshopped images make them look and feel better about themselves, but then again it portrays an unrealistic person that is hardly close to the real you. Everyone has flaws and with this photoshop madness, the flaws are erased. With no flaws in these images there is no limit to how far someone will go to get that level of perfection, even though that level is unachievable because a great deal of lightening, smoothing, and shrinking has been added to the image. The more images being photoshopped to clear up insecurities; the more insecurity there is being piled on the viewers. If you see before and after photos, you will realize that people in the photoshopped images are not as perfect as they claim to be. And we should not feel bad about ourselves because of this, but we do. Seeing how a size 10 model can be photoshopped down to a size 1 is ridiculous. How can wrinkles vanish inconspicuously, uneven skin tones be evened out, dark circles erased, and stretch marks blurred? In real life this is not possible to be completely without a blemish or flaw. So, when we see all of these photoshopped images we start putting our heads down in shame knowing we cannot look as impeccable as these fake images display. Altering images to try and fit into society’s way of how people should look is nonsense. We will never look like that and it is just making people self-esteem worse because we will go to the end of the world and back to figure out every secret to acquire glowing and youthful looking skin like the individuals in our magazine. But the secret is all in the image, it is a little thing called photoshop and it is ruining the way we look at ourselves.

Carly H & Maggie W Galvin Middle School Canton, MA 02021

Should student be able to wear whatever they want?

Many adults argue there is a line between skimpy and sweet. More than 75 % of schools in the United States have issued dress codes that limit what boy and girls are allowed to wear on school grounds. Unless schools are supplying uniforms or paying money for students’ wardrobes we believe schools should not have a say. Although many teachers would say middle school and high school students’ choice of clothing is rather inappropriate and distracting, almost all parents and students would beg to differ. As middle schoolers we strongly believe schools have taken away students right to express themselves. Middle school and high school age kids are just starting to come out of their shells. Some students feel more comfortable in their own clothes than they would feel in a uniform. Nowadays students have been bullied due to what they are wearing. Kids have been called “ugly” or “weird” and “gay”. Kids want to fit in and wear the newest styles. It seems though these styles have been getting skimpier and skimpier. Letting a child wear clothing of their choice it can boost their self confidence. We feel that as long as your parents let you out of the house the way that you are dressed then the schools should not have a say. About 63% percent of kids in middle school get bullied because of what they are wearing. Without a dress code students have that chance to fit in and develop a personal style. Many teachers and faculty believe schools without dress codes have lower test scores. People say that these low test scores can be because students are dressing inappropriately. Dressing inappropriately can distract other students and faculty. Some people have a hard time paying attention in school and then skimpy clothing can just make it worse. One theory suggests that students who wear uniforms and who don’t not have freedom to wear what they want get better grades in school. Even though wearing uniforms might seem like it can solve all problems no matter what people choose to do clothing will always be a debate in schools. All in all wearing whatever you want has its advantages but also disadvantages. When you have the freedom to wear what you want there is always going to be the kids that take that for granted. But then having that freedom can be a way for children to fit in and express themselves. We believe that students should be able to wear whatever they want.

Colleen B. Sofia C. Galvin Middle School Canton, MA 02021

Why women are not pursuing careers in the S.T.E.M. field.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” Throughout history humans haven’t been treated equally, most of this injustice has to do with sex, race, or ethnicity. As humanity has developed we have created rights for the discrimination. Women have always been thought as the inferior gender, however as time has progressed women have earned more rights. Unfortunately many women still think of themselves as secondary.

One reason the majority of female has not been choosing careers in math and science has to do with encouragement. Repetition builds a muscle, a muscle builds a habit and habit builds a character that sticks. If children are not encourage from a young age, or don’t get exposed to S.T.E.M. careers, their mind has already been developed and is not focused on exploring the science and math fields. Most children of this generation are steered toward sports from a young age, which does not allow females in particular to see a variety of career options in their future. Its not that the majority of women don’t want to work in the S.T.E.M. field but their upbringing does not promote these callings.

Throughout history, women have always been stereotyped as the inferior gender. Women are usually thought as less intelligent and are relegated to lower paying jobs. Females in the past have had a very small work selection. From the 1950s to the 1970s, women commonly had two job options, becoming a teacher or a nurse. However, as time has progressed women have begun to expand their career choices but still make less than males. The Media can make a big impact on how women are seen through pop culture.

Even though statistics state that the percentage of females in the S.T.E.M. field has decreased, people still believe that our country has a stable science and math field. Many believe that in our future, the science fields will open up to women population more. This may be true but the fields are already open for females to enter. However, the majority of females still do not choose to pursue these careers.

Just as Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” Until more women explore the S.T.E.M. fields we can never quite tell how strong and intelligent women are.

Is Prom Worth it?

As teenagers we all want to have one perfect night, especially girls. For us prom is the only chance to have a complete Cinderella dream. You wait all these years until the day finally comes, dress hunting. That’s the moment when you doubt and say the unspeakable, “Is prom worth it?” Some might say yes while others may say no whatever the reason is the glitz or the thought of getting rejected. People come in and out of our lives, but many articles say this is our last chance to be with our peers. It isn’t really because there is still graduation but to have a lot of fun with our peers, proms the night. In that one night you become the person you were when you walked into to high school for the first time and now you get to leave as the person you have become. In high school you change, you make new types of choices and maybe become mature. Sometimes in growing up we forget the things that makes us, us and in this night you get a chance to remember and become that graduating class that you were always meant to be. To some people they still say no, however I think it is still worth it. Other articles say that prom is a big memorable moment. You all fall into places like in a story, there is a king and queen and moments to remember. Moments aren’t only captured in pictures but in places, in our minds, in people, in heartbeats. These moments are what brings a class together and helps us say, “Don’t you remember…” This will definitely be something you will remember. Many of us want to do everything, trying anything, and do them with the people they love. We have choices in our lives which sometimes get’s in the way of doing things but is prom a choice which helps us accomplish this? About twenty five percent of the teen population don’t attend prom. Some might not want to go after seeing the price on the dress tag or the ticket itself. Most families spend about a thousand one hundred thirty nine dollars. For most families this is a lot and people don’t plan to spend this much unless it’s their wedding. In this economy college tuition also seems a lot to families and this seems like an unnecessary expense. Despite the cost and the drama that prom brings on, it is a night to remember. From the moment you meet your date to the moment the limo picks you up there is a story to be told within.

• //learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/02/is-prom-worth-it/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 • //www.lifeway.com/Article/parenting-teens-family-Prom-in-Perspective

Grace K and John A Galvin Middle School Canton MA 02021

School Dress Codes . In middle schools and high schools all over the country, administrators are punishing children for their clothing choices. The reason for this being that girl specifically, dress too provocatively. Therefore, stricter dress codes are being enforced, but is it worth it? It isn’t appropriate for anyone besides a child’s parents to tell them what they can and can not wear. Period. Most people buy their kids shorter, smaller and lighter clothes for the warmer months, spending their own hard earned money. For a public school to then proceed to tell those parents that their child is not permitted to wear that clothing on school grounds, where they spend over 7 hours of their day, just isn’t right. If a child’s legal guardian is perfectly fine with their kids wearing a pair of “short-shorts” then why should a school policy be allowed to them they can’t? Especially when the school isn’t providing uniforms or money to buy clothing that fit into their particular dress codes. Another reason why schools shouldn’t enforce such strict dress codes is because of basic human rights. Freedom of expression, by definition, is the right to express one’s ideas and opinions freely through speech, writing, and other communication. For centuries, clothing has been one of those forms of other communication. To deny people their rights is illegal, no matter what age, race, or sex and schools not allowing students to wear clothing of their choice is no exception. Besides it being against the law, schools are supposed to encourage kids to be themselves, stand up for what they believe in, and help them find their identities. One of the best ways for our country’s youth to accomplish these things is to allow them to be as unique and personal with their clothes as possible. If this means letting a child wear a tank top with straps that are less than 3 inches wide, so be it. Many people don’t want to give kids, girls in particular; the freedom to wear whatever they want to school because they think it will be too much of a distraction for boys. While I agree with that, I think it is more important for children to be able to express themselves freely. Besides that, who’s to say that girls aren’t distracted by the clothing that boys wear? There are almost no restrictions or limitations towards the clothing that boys are allowed to wear yet there are several for girls. It shouldn’t be a female student’s problem that some young boys get too “distracted” by what they wear when boys are hardly even affected by the dress code at schools anyways. In conclusion, school dress codes are harsh and unnecessary and should be lessened at the least. Plenty of people agree with this as well as disagree. Hopefully, schools will see the error of their ways and adjust their clothing policies, as they are currently unfair and too strict for many different reasons.

Colleen B. Sofia C. Galvin Middle School Canton, MA 02021 Why women are not pursuing careers in the S.T.E.M. field. Eleanor Roosevelt once said “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” Throughout history humans haven’t been treated equally, most of this injustice has to do with sex, race, or ethnicity. As humanity has developed we have created rights for the discrimination. Women have always been thought as the inferior gender, however as time has progressed women have earned more rights. Unfortunately many women still think of themselves as secondary. One reason the majority of female has not been choosing careers in math and science has to do with encouragement. Repetition builds a muscle, a muscle builds a habit and habit builds a character that sticks. If children are not encourage from a young age, or don’t get exposed to S.T.E.M. careers, their mind has already been developed and is not focused on exploring the science and math fields. Most children of this generation are steered toward sports from a young age, which does not allow females in particular to see a variety of career options in their future. Its not that the majority of women don’t want to work in the S.T.E.M. field but their upbringing does not promote these callings. Throughout history, women have always been stereotyped as the inferior gender. Women are usually thought as less intelligent and are relegated to lower paying jobs. Females in the past have had a very small work selection. From the 1950s to the 1970s, women commonly had two job options, becoming a teacher or a nurse. However, as time has progressed women have begun to expand their career choices but still make less than males. The Media can make a big impact on how women are seen through pop culture. Even though statistics state that the percentage of females in the S.T.E.M. field has decreased, people still believe that our country has a stable science and math field. Many believe that in our future, the science fields will open up to women population more. This may be true but the fields are already open for females to enter. However, the majority of females still do not choose to pursue these careers. Just as Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” Until more women explore the S.T.E.M. fields we can never quite tell how strong and intelligent women are. -//learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/22/why-arent-more-girls-choosing-to-pursue-careers-in-math-and-science/ -//www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/Encouraging-Girls-to-Pursue-Math-and-Science.aspx

Should cyber-bullying laws be passed?

Cyber-bullying is extremely serious, no one should suffer from cyber-bullying, those doing the bullying should not get away with it they need to be punished. More laws on cyberbullying and punishments need to be passed. If cyber bullying doesn’t get prevented it will drastically increase over the years due to the progress of new technology. Cyberbullying is cruel and hurtful, it can cause depression, thoughts of suicide and low self esteem. Anna Maria Chavez the chief executive officer of girl scouts once said “unless and until our society recognizes cyberbullying for what it is, the suffering of thousands of silent victims will continue.” Hurtful words take a toll on the individual, at times they may feel worthless and believe the world would be a better place without them. In the United States 49 states have bullying laws only 19 states include cyberbullying, meaning 31 states have yet passed a cyberbullying law. How much longer until more cyberbullying laws are passed? How many more lives will be lost? Each year over 13 million individuals are bullied, there are about 4,400 deaths in the United States by suicide those being bullied have a greater chance to be one of those individuals. No one should be cyber bullied, bullies need to be punished for their actions. Megan Meier from Dardenne Prairie, Missouri committed suicide on October 17, 2006 at the age of 13 due to cyberbullying. After Megan’s death, her mother Tina Meier urged that Megans bully must be punished, and was able to get “Megans Law” passed which protects individuals from harassment on social networking sites. The majority of parents plead for more cyberbullying laws, why aren’t they passing? Therefore each state should pass laws preventing cyberbullying and punishments for bullies. Bullying is a stab in the heart after the constant fighting,trying to get through the pain, the heart gives up as the individual cannot take it anymore. Katherine Jenkins, a classical crossover singer has said “children should be able to live free from bullying and harassment and it is time that we all took a stand.” Cyber Bullying must end before it´s too late.

Sources The Associated Press. “Mother Wants Maximum Penalty in Cyberbullying Case.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Nov. 2008. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. //www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/us/29internet.html?ref=meganmeier “About Tina Meier.” Megan Meier Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. //www.meganmeierfoundation.org/about-tina-meier.html “State Cyberbullying Laws.” N.p., Feb.-Mar. 2014. Web. Feb.-Mar. 2014. < //www.cyberbullying.us/Bullying_and_Cyberbullying_Laws.pdf>. “Bullying and Suicide.” Bullying Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. //www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html Jenkins, Katherine. “Beatbullying’s The Big March 2012.” Beatbullying’s The Big March 2012. Feb.-Mar. 2014. Address. Chavez, Anna Maria. “Confronting Cyber Violence in the Digital Age.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2014. //www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-maria-chavez/confronting-cyber-violenc_b_3157086.html

It can’t be worked out systematically. Young people need to leap beyond the assumption that at 18 they can do everything; buy cigarettes, drink alcohol, vote, drive and fight in wars—but it actuality, not until they’re 21.

Young people need to be protected by law since a majority is ignorant of the consequences that follow every decision. Anemona Hartocollis found that many young people thought they weren’t mature enough in making life-or-death decisions before 21. It not only applied to drinking and smoking, but combat as well. When both parties are in agreement that one is in need of guidance, justifies raising the age limit, making it equivalent, provides consistency.

Dealing with consumption, privileges and the civic engagement, privileges are the least controversial of the three. At 16, young people can receive their license. There should be regulations—which some states have already implemented. The ‘We Check to Protect-Vertical Identification Program’ requires those under 21 a vertical (portrait) style driver’s license (Johnson). This ensures health and safety of young people as reminder for teenagers, parents, businesses, law enforcement, retailers and merchants.

Buying cigarettes and drinking alcohol is next controversial. Enforcing an age limit is virtually impossible (by society’s standards, since keeping up with our standard of living in our culture of instant gratification, where underage this that and the other, are the best things these days) it wouldn’t make a difference. It would receive outcry.

“If [loved ones] condone it, then… it’s acceptable,” says Patrick Brown who sought the consultation of his mother before enlisting. Even though it may not be idealistic with underage consumption, ‘Older adults with the benefit of a lot of hindsight might tend to agree’ (Hartocollis).

Immaturity extends beyond a person’s legal entrance into adulthood. Cheryl G. Healton, dean of Global Health at N.Y.U. says, “The executive function [of the brain]…is really not fully developed until…over 21” (Hartocollis). If, through someone else’s experience, has better knowledge about these issues, then the government raising the age limit to 21, for a majority of them, is right when young people aren’t fully prepared to comprehend such actions psychologically.

Some will argue about the consistency. Keeping the age limit to drive at 16, treating them like minors until 21, and raising it to 21 for the other issues, will receive different levels of criticism. It’s simpler to have a bit of difference than to have no congruity.

Buying cigarettes, drinking alcohol, voting, driving and fighting in wars shouldn’t be given freedom until 21. Young people are supposed to make mistakes and everyone is a life lesson learned. We don’t want to be guilty by association of not trying to prevent such lessons learned at severe expenses and/or too early.

Hartocollis, Anemona. “Smoking? Combat? Wait Till 21, Young Recruits Say.” New York Times [New York] 23 Apr 2013, early ed. A19. Web. 4 Mar. 2014. < //www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/health/smoking-combat-wait-until-21-to-decide-young-recruits-say.html>.

Johnson, Ruth. Michigan. Department of State. Vertical Driver’s License Helps with Age Verification!. State of Michigan, 2003. Web. < //www.michigan.gov/sos/0,1607,7-127-1627_8669-70561–,00.html>.

Nathaniel Skinner

Are we Ever Without God?

People often wonder “Can we be good without God?” . It’s a common question; one may argue that there are good atheists all around us. This is true, even by Christian standards; there are atheists practice good deeds and some who practice evil deeds, just like there are Christians who practice good deeds and some who practice evil deeds. Some atheists give to the poor, help those in jail, feed the hungry, clothe the naked and do other things a good Christian should do. Being an atheist does not always equate to being an immoral or bad person. So yes you can be good and you can do this without believing in God. What is God, is there a single definition or are there multiple? According to Roman Catholic belief, what we refer to as God is an all powerful deity consisting of The Father, the son, and the Holy spirit. A common understanding of this God, to many non-Christians is the guy in the white garb standing on the clouds with the beard and sandals;this is not the sole image of God. God is all powerful, so why would ‘he’ maintain one form for all the 7 billion plus people on earth now, not to mention all the people who have come before us? In truth God is all things good, God is happiness, God is love, God is faith, God is truth and God is compassion. Truly whatever religion whatever race what ever culture, if you are just and honest and practice these things then God is with you. So The more prevalent question here instead of can you be good without god is: are people ever without God?

God is not bound to human form nor is God bound to any of the laws of physics or reality that are recognized by modern day science(Proverbs 15:3) This means that God can and does appear in a multitude of forms and situations. We must be careful not to put God into human restraints: God is not subject to the same terms that we judge our fellow men and women(Job 11:7-9). In this way God is all around us, even inside our hearts. God knows us like we know ourselves because we all have a little piece of God in ourselves, this furthers the fact that no one can be without God. Even people who are commonly considered immoral or evil have God in them or around them; just because one does not believe in God does not mean God is not present so even murderers and stone cold criminals have God in their life.

God is also all knowing, meaning that god knows the future, the present and the past by “heart”. The argument can be made that if God knows a certain person will go to hell after they die from the beginning why does he not just send them straight to hell? The answer is that life is a journey and if God were to send people straight to hell without giving them a chance to walk the path of life and understand what they are called to do, then it would be extremely unfair. Just because a person is an atheist does not mean they are doomed to hell; actions speak louder than words. It really is true. So if you worship god in your actions but don’t do it in your voice or mind then this still counts as being with God.

God loves all of us; every human to walk this earth have received love from God even if they don’t know it. God has a roundabout way of getting things done. Every Action is weaved into God’s design: running like a perfect machine every action affects somebody,then somebody else then somebody else and so on. God is in fact everywhere and we cannot and will not part unto death. until then there is never a step one person walks without God

“I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It’s just that the translations have gone wrong.”

― John Lennon

Due to the controversial and seemingly almost unique view included in this editorial, there are no New York Times sources that support the ideas expressed. I hope to receive a slight pardon for not having a NY times source. If this essay does not qualify, I understand. N. Skinner

//www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+11%3A7-9&version=ESV

Proverbs 15:3

//www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+15%3A3&version=ESV

Why does society (men and women) tell women that they have to appeal a certain way to the public eye? Women are the most beautiful creation God has made because without women, there wouldn’t be a population to grow to carry out the future. Since this is true who do we as a society tend to present to women that they need to change. keep in thought that we don’t have to make something perfect, if it was already perfect to begin with. In some cases women have always been told what to do or how to appeal a certain way to the public eye. I believe that society’s appeal to the preconceived image of the perfect woman is unjust because no two women are the same and no to women should have to conform to look like one another. Society, both men and women, have been putting pressure on women to have that ‘perfect’ body. From the New York Times, Katherine Schulten had said that “the ads show girls of different races and sizes, and others playing sports in a wheelchair. Each one with the campaign’s slogan: ‘I’m beautiful the way I am.’” This describes how women shouldn’t be discriminated on how their body appears in the public eye. The woman should see herself just as worthy as she sees all the other women. In some circumstances, women have always been told that they have to take the second seat to man. There’s a song that compares women and society, it shows how “we say to girls: ‘You can have ambition but not too much. You should am t be successful, but not too successful, otherwise you will threaten the man’ (Knowles). Throughout this song i can confer that some women are able to handle the pressure of the workplace, whereas other women like the role of being a domestic engineer. However, Maybelline expresses through their campaign that women should indeed wear makeup. Maybelline’s President, David Greenberg, claimed that “makeup helps women feel more comfortable with going out in public.” Mr. Greenberg says that they’re not trying to make women have a false identity, but instead trying to make them have a secure sense of security. Women shouldn’t be judged by their appeal to the public eye. Society needs to stop advertising a certain type of woman, and show all types of women. If a woman were to walk down the street, either she is insecure, obese, and/or depressed, and she were to look up to a beautiful woman on the billboard, shes going to feel more insecure and want to change how she appears. A life of a woman shouldn’t be based on their physical appearance, because every woman is beautiful in their own way and it shouldn’t be hidden due to what society says. – Schulten, Katherine. “Is There Too Much Pressure on Girls to Have ‘Perfect’ Bodies?” The Learning Network Is There Too Much Pressure on Girls to Have Perfect Bodies Comments. New Yorks Times, 03 Oct. 2013. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. < //learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/is-there-too-much-pressure-on-girls-to-have-perfect-bodies/>.

Does Technology make us more alone? As a greatness that has increased the way that we perceive the world, technology can be a burden. Unlike the many screen glossed eyes and over exerted thumbs, technology is doing something far worse than hand cramps: it is making the human mind more comfortable with being alone and devoid of human contact. Technology has created, based upon evidence stated by Sherry Turkle, the desire ‘to customize our lives’ through the vast creativity that technology provides. It forces people to only ‘pay attention to what interests them’. But who wouldn’t? People typically pay more attention to the subjects that interest them and would most likely try to find those subjects online where they are easiest to access. Yes, despite increasing our knowledge, it is decreasing our ability to converse with one another. The fear of being judged all gone with eye contact glued to a screen. It is as if no one wants to be bothered by others around them, but is willing to have millions follow them on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Even Sherry Turkle- a psychologist and professor employed at M.I.T- states in her article The Flight from Conversation that ‘people are comforted by being in touch with a lot of people- carefully kept at bay’. This need to be important and loved by a persona is a reassuring concept that provides those two wants without having to deal with actual human emotion. The need for interaction with living, breathing people seems to be cast aside for the more accurate version from a nonliving thing such as a robot. We live in an age where technology is a necessity in life, but it is becoming a way to destroy connecting and feeling emotions from other people, enforcing being alone in a world that is barely real.

“The Flight From Conversation”. New York Times. April 21, 2012. Web. March 2, 2014. //www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/the-flight-from-conversation.html?pagewanted=all

Legalize Marijuana Drugs aren’t as harmful as people believe them to be. Marijuana is more helpful than harmful. Statistics state that 88,000 people die from alcohol and more than 480,000 people die from cigars. While less than a hundred people die from the marijuana usage. This drug benefits people with diseases such as cancer. It seems that many people would rather drink alcohol that can become addictive rather than smoke marijuana which is a drug that most people value for medical needs. Marijuana is being legalized in many places for different reasons. In Mexico City officials suggest “Legalization of marijuana, not other drugs.” People smoke the drug instead of having any other addictions such as shopping, sex, tv and video games. In Guatemala, the president has put forward a plan for the government to legalize and sell the drug. While these two places are allowing the drug, majority of the U.S is still against the use of marijuana. “The U.S has rejected legalization as a solution to drug use.” Citizens in the U.S have different emotions about this debate with many citizens not accepting the drug. Marijuana isn’t harmful because it is a natural substance. People should be able to smoke a substance that is natural rather than tobacco which is mixed with a highly addictive substance called nicotine. Allen St. Pierre a Executive Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws agrees that the drug marijuana should be legalized. He stated that he hopes more Americans would legalize it. “Since 1996, 18 states approved marijuana for medical use.” And also “13 states have decriminalized the possession of marijuana, removing the possibility of jail time.” This suggest that many of the world’s population are able to persuade their government that marijuana isn’t as much as an addictive drug as society believes it to be. Marijuana isn’t a harmful substance unless it is laced with another drug. Marijuana has been proven to be a palliative drug and should be legalized in the U.S

Archibold, Randal C. “Americas Coalition Suggests Marijuana Laws Be Relaxed.” New York Times. 18 May. 2013: A.7. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

Gonchar,Michael. Should marijuana be legalized?.Ny times. 31, May 2013. Web. 10, March 2014

Sexual Violence against Young Women According to American Medical Association, Sexual violence and rape are considered the most under reported violent crime. In the Steubenville case 2 high school football players were found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl. After being found guilty of raping and sending nude images of the girl around, 1 boy got 1 year in juvenile jail and the other boy got 2 years. After the case one of the boys apologized to the victims family stating “No pictures should have been sent around, let alone ever taken.” The fact that the 2 high school boys raped and took pictures shows that we as a society are not teaching the effects and consequences of rape to young adults. According to an article in the New York Times, “the judge of the case noted that the boys could have had far worse punishments and said that this was a cautionary lesson.” The fact that the judge is giving them a cautionary lesson astounds me. Rape is rape and no matter what age the rapists are the consequences should be served based on the crime not their age.

In Ms. Nathman’s article “Raising children who will speak up tot prevent rape, not defend it,” she discusses the “Cult of Masculinity” and how male power and strength are being praised upon especially since these 2 boys were football stars. The teenage boys thought that because they were football stars that they were unstoppable and could get away with anything until they were caught and found guilty. Nathman states that there is often and impulse to “Blame the victim” and that is one thing I disagree with her. There in any case is never an impulse to blame the victim noted on what she was wearing. So the amount of insincerity people are showing to the victim of this case is unbearable. Social media also had a big role on the insincerity people showed the victim.

In my opinion, the work of these college activists is impressive, but we need to do more. I also agree with the college activists saying that colleges and high schools are falling short in educating students about sexual assaults since most young adults are defending the rapists of this case. Also many people are tweeting to the victim that she “ruined their life” when the rapist ruined their own life. “Rape is not a recreational activity. We, as a society, have an obligation to do more to educate our young people about rape. They need to know that it is a horrible crime of violence. And it is simply not ok.” Stated Ohio attorney of the Steubenville case Dr. DeWine.

Guarino, Mark “Steubenville’s Troubling Question: Is Rape Just a Part of ‘Hook-up Culture?’ Christian Science Monitor, March 20, 2013 n.p

Oppel, Richard “Ohio Teenagers Guilty in Rape That Social Media Brought to Light”. New York Times, March 17, 2013

Books not Guns

In 2002 at a Arizona university, an irate student shot three professors to death. This event and many other school shootings lead to one of the biggest questions in Arizona’s and other states government and schools… “Should weapons be aloud on campus?” Guns and other weapons should not be permitted in schools and on campuses. They can cause danger to other students and professors. Students or teachers may use them without a cause or for the wrong reasons, and bringing weapons to campus can be the cause of more school shootings. If students bring weapons to school, it can put everyone in that building or on that campus in danger. Students or professors may feel unsafe and not comfortable there, even though a campus is supposed to be a comfortable, friendly environment. Having people on campus able to carry weapons on them can cause students and/or teachers to have violent outburst. For example, if the student thinks it’s unfair to have an assessment or finds the material they are learning too difficult, they might use their weapon upon the teacher. The number of students bringing weapons to school is sky rocketing and the number teachers being threatened by their students is increasing as well. As of now the risk of a student accidentally getting shot or obtaining a gun during a school year has increased by 40 percent in the past four decades. Because of one child carrying a gun on campus, others may feel they can too. “Campus shootouts are a relative rarity, but they do occur. The most notorious shooting at an Arizona university took place in 2002 when a disgruntled nursing student shot three professors to death.” Just from being angry and dissatisfied, she shot the people there to help her. Exactly as Carmen Themar stated, “…and bullets don’t always go where they are aimed.” Taking out your frustration on someone may impact another’s life. The shooting victims most likely have families that are devastated. The anger could cause those certain people to shoot others. A gun shooting is more than just injuring or killing that human; whole families are affected. Guns should stay out of any educational environment because schools are for learning and guns have no purpose to be there.

“Should Guns Be Permitted on College Campuses?” The Learning Network Should Guns Be Permitted on College Campuses Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

Szabo, Liz. “Guns in the Home Are Proving Deadly for Kids.” //sks.sirs.com . Newspaper USA Today, 29 May 2013. Web.

Is it really worth calling a sport? From experience, I can tell you cheerleading is a sport. Girls train endless, tiring hours each week perfecting a routine that includes a combination of gymnastics, dance, and stunting. Not only do you need a high level of strength and skill, cheerleading offers a high risk of injury. And what is that cheerleading doesn’t have that other sports do? “An athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature” is the definition of a sport according to Dictionary.com. Cheerleading exceeds all these criteria. According to the Women’s Sport Foundation, a sport must include a physical activity which involves propelling a mass through space or overcoming the resistance of mass, like a football, baseball, or in cheerleading, a person.Of course it takes strength and skill to throw a ball accurately, but to throw a person up into the air takes a tremendous amount of strength. All sports are governed by rules, and have some element of competitiveness. Cheerleading has rules that restrict skills in each level and performance time, and as far as I know, cheerleading is the most competitive sport I’ve ever participated in. Cheerleaders travel the U.S. all year round to compete in different states. There is even a competition called The World Championship that is broadcasted on ESPN. If its broadcasted on television, then its definitely a sport. 65.1% of all catastrophic sports injuries in high school females are from cheerleading, according to livescience.com. So, over half of all injuries in high schools in girls are from cheerleading, so what makes it not a sport? Injuries are sadly common in every sport, and I have experienced one before. As a backspot, my job is to catch and make sure my flyer stays up safely in the air. While putting their safety before mine, I have numerous girls fall on me, especially my head. After many visits to the doctors, I was diagnosed with a concussion. Missing many days of school, I had left my team stranded with one less team member. Injuries really take a toll on life, especially when you play a sport that has a high risk of it occurring. According to, George W. Bush was the head cheerleader at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. Since, cheerleading has grown tremendously. Numerous cheer gyms are opening in every state, why would there be such a demand for them if cheerleading wasn’t a sport. Not only are their gyms continuously opening, but cheerleading is all over the media, television and online shows are dedicated to the sport. So, if you still don’t think cheerleading is a sport, ask cheerleader, and they will tell you countless reasons why it is.

Sources Thomas, Katie. “Cheering Clamors to Be Sport.” The New York Times 22 May 2011: 1-5.

IS Music The Key to Success?

Music. It’s Not Just For Entertainment

Collaboration. Creativity. Discipline. Three important qualities that are hard to come by in society today. As people, we need to find a way to acquire these traits. Many people look to music for entertainment. Unfortunately they are missing the big picture. Music can encourage these desired qualities within us. In fact, many successful people in business, acting and newscasting have been classically trained in music. Coincidence? I think not. Alan Greenspan, a man who served as the chairman of the federal reserve,and grew up playing the clarinet and piano, told the New York Times that he himself, knows that this is no coincidence. “The probability that this is just chance is extremely small.” Greenspan explains. In agreement, many pose the question, “Why does this connection exist?” Most would simply say “It just does.” Paul Allen says otherwise. The co founder of Microsoft has played both the violin and the guitar. He informed the New York Times that at the end of a long day of programming, he would pull his guitar out and play, learning to express himself in a brand new way. The sad part is that music isn’t being taught to many students. In a 2003 Gallup Poll, only 54% of American households said they have have at least one musician. Since 1978, this statistic has dropped by 15%. Sooner or later, there will be nobody playing musicians. Parents have argued that the arts do nothing for our students, but do gym classes really do anything for us? At a small middle school in Holliston Massachusetts, kids are required to take a form of music class. Students can play instruments, sing in the chorus or study general music. Holliston has ranked number 18 in the state. Interestingly, all of the schools ranked ahead of Holliston require music to graduate. In an article in Forbes Magazine, a writer says that if a scientist were to have musical training it would have no relevance on how great a scientist they are. Thus, countering the fact that musical training will lead to success. This may be true but most would agree that listening to music can help us concentrate on work. Music being a branch of performing arts also can give us confidence. SInging in front of a crowd could help with public speaking. Playing an instrument in front of thousands shares the language of melody, sharing our ideas in front of a crowd shares the language of our knowledge. Many instrumentalists refer to music as a “hidden language.” If we believe that languages of countries will help us to be successful, then we believe that the language of music will help too.

Works Cited: Lipman, Joanne. “Is Music the Key to Success?.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. < //www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/opinion/sunday/is-music-the-key-to-success.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0> .Ubel, Peter. “An Embarrassingly Unscientific New York Times Op-Ed On Music And Success.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 10 Jan. 2014. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. < //www.forbes.com/sites/peterubel/2014/01/10/an-embarrassingly-unscientific-new-york-times-op-edon-music-and-success/>.

Collaboration. Creativity. Discipline. Three important qualities that are hard to come by in society today. As people, we need to find a way to acquire these traits. Many people look to music for entertainment. Unfortunately they are missing the big picture. Music can encourage these desired qualities within us. In fact, many successful people in business, acting and newscasting have been classically trained in music. Coincidence? I think not. Alan Greenspan, a man who served as the chairman of the federal reserve,and grew up playing the clarinet and piano, told the New York Times that he himself, knows that this is no coincidence. “The probability that this is just chance is extremely small.” Greenspan explains. In agreement, many pose the question, “Why does this connection exist?” Most would simply say “It just does.” Paul Allen says otherwise. The co founder of Microsoft has played both the violin and the guitar. He informed the New York Times that at the end of a long day of programming, he would pull his guitar out and play, learning to express himself in a brand new way. The sad part is that music isn’t being taught to many students. In a 2003 Gallup Poll, only 54% of American households said they have have at least one musician. Since 1978, this statistic has dropped by 15%. Sooner or later, there will be no musicians left. Parents have argued that the arts do nothing for our students, but do gym classes really do anything for us? At a small middle school in Holliston Massachusetts, kids are required to take a form of music class. Students can play instruments, sing in the chorus or study general music. Holliston has ranked number 18 in the state. Interestingly, all of the schools ranked ahead of Holliston require music to graduate. In an article in Forbes Magazine, a writer says that if a scientist were to have musical training it would have no relevance on how great a scientist they are. Thus, countering the fact that musical training will lead to success. This may be true but most would agree that listening to music can help us concentrate on work. Music being a branch of performing arts also can give us confidence. SInging in front of a crowd could help with public speaking. Playing an instrument in front of thousands shares the language of melody. Sharing our ideas in front of a crowd shares the language of our knowledge. Many instrumentalists refer to music as a “hidden language.” If we believe that languages of countries will help us to be successful, then we believe that the language of music will help too.

Can you suggest me any topic /argumentative essay on aboriginal health?

What's Next

• Guides & Resources

How To Write an Op-ed: A Step By Step Guide

There’s a formula that we call the “ABCs” that can be used to write compelling op-eds, columns, or blogs. The same formula can also be used to write almost any document that offers up an argument or gives advice. This is a “news flash lede,” a comment that will make sense in a  moment .

The ABC Formula

This formula for writing op-eds is based on our experience and our op-eds that appeared in the  New York Times , the  Wall Street Journal , and the  Washington Post .  I first came across a version of this formula while I was at  US News and World Report . It was called “FLUCK,” and we have tweaked it a bit since then. 

This is probably obvious, but this ABC formula is meant to guide writers rather than restrict them. In other words, these are recommendations, not a rigid set of instructions.

Better yet, think of the formula as a flexible template for making an effective argument in print—one that you personalize with your specific style, topic, and intended audience in mind.

This guide is divided into five parts.

Part I: Introduction:  In this section, we give a brief overview of the approach and discuss the importance of writing and opinion.

Part II: The ABCs:  Here we cover the important steps in writing for your audience: Attention, Billboard, and Context.

PART III: The ABCS in Example:  In this section, we give you different examples of the ABCs in action and how to effectively use them.

PART IV: Pitching:  Here we will go over how to effectively pitch ideas and submit ideas to an editor for publication.

PART V: Final tips and FAQs: Here we go over a few more key things to do and answer the most commonly asked questions.

Part I: Introduction To Op-Eds

Op-eds are one of the most powerful tools in communications today. They can make a career. They can break a career.

But there’s often lots of mystery around editorials and op-eds. I mean: What does op-ed even stand for?

Well, let’s start with editorials. Editorials are columns written by a member of a publication’s board or editors, and they are meant to represent the view of the publication. While reporting has the main purpose of informing the public, editorials can serve a large number of purposes. But typically editorials aim to persuade an audience on a controversial issue.

Op-eds, on the other hand, are “opposite the editorial” page columns. They began as a way for an author to present an opinion that opposed the one on the editorial board. Note that an op-ed is different than a letter to the editor, which is when someone writes a note to complain about an article, and that note is published. Think of a letter to the editor as an old, more stodgy form of the comments section of an article.

The New York Times  produced the first modern op-ed in 1970, and over time, op-eds became a way for people to simply express their opinions in the media. They tend to be written by experts, observers, or someone passionate about a topic, and as media in general becomes more partisan, op-eds have become more and more common.

How to start . The first step for writing an op-ed is to be sure to: Make. An. Argument.

Many op-eds fail because they just summarize key details. But, wrong or right, op-eds need to advance a strong contention. They need to assert something, and the first step is to write down your argument.

Here are some examples:

• I want to write an op-ed on the plague that are drinks that overflow with ice cubes. This op-ed would argue that restaurants serve drinks with too many ice cubes.
• Superman is clearly better than Batman. In this op-ed, I would convince readers why Superman is a better superhero than Batman.
• My op-ed is on lowering the voting age in America. An op-ed on this topic would list reasons why Congress should pass a law to allow those who are 14 years old like me to be able to vote in elections.

How to write.  So you have yourself an argument. It’s now time to write the op-ed. When it comes to writing, this guide assumes a decent command of the English language; we’re not going to cover the basics of nouns and verbs. However, keep in mind a few things:

• Blogs, op-eds, and columns are short.  Less than 1,000 words. Usually between 500 and 700 words. Many blogs are just a few hundred words, basically a few graphs and a pull quote often does the job.
• Simplicity, logic, and clarity are your best friends  when it comes to writing op-eds and blogs. In other words, write like a middle schooler. Use short sentences and clear words. Paragraphs should be less than four sentences. Please take a look at Strunk and White for more information. I used to work with John Podesta, who has written many great op-eds, and he was rumored to have given his staff a copy of Strunk and White on their first day of employment.
• Love yourself topic sentences.  The first sentence of each paragraph needs to be strong, and your topic sentences should give an overall idea of what’s to follow. In other words, a reader should be able to grasp your article’s argument by reading the first sentence of each paragraph.

How to make an argument.  This guide is not for reporters or news writers. That’s journalism. This guide is for people who make arguments. So keep in mind the following:

• Evidence . This might be obvious, but you need evidence to support your argument. This means data in the forms of published studies, government statistics, and anything that offers cold facts. Stories are good and can support your argument. But try and go beyond a good anecdote.
• Tone . Check out the bloggers and columnists that are in the publications that you’re aiming for, and try to emulate them when it comes to their  argumentative tone . Is their tone critical? Humorous? Breezy? Your tone largely hinges on what type of outlet you are writing for, which brings us to…
• Audience .  Almost everything in your article — from what type of language you use to your tone — depends on your audience. A piece for a children’s magazine is going to read differently than, say, an op-ed in the Washington Post. The best way to familiarize yourself with your audience is to read pieces that have already been published in the outlet you are writing for, or hoping to write for. Take note of how the author presents her argument and then adjust yours accordingly.

Sidebar: Advice vs Argument.  Offering advice in the form of a how-to article — like what you’re reading right now — is different than putting forth an argument in an actual op-ed piece.

That said, advice pieces, like this  one  by Lifehacker or this  one  by Hubspot, follow much of the same ABC formula. For instance, advice pieces will still often begin with an attention-grabbing opener and contextualize their subject matter.

However, instead of trying to make an argument in the body of the article, the advice pieces will typically list five to ten ways of “how to do” something. For example, “How to cook chicken quesadillas” or “How to ask someone out on a date.”

The primary purpose of an advice piece is to inform rather than to convince. In other words, advice pieces describe what you could do, while op-ed pieces show us what we should do.

Part II: Dissecting The ABC Approach

Formula.  Six steps make up the ABC method, and yes, that means it should be called the ABCDEF method. Either way, here are the steps:

Attention  (sometimes called the lede): Here’s your chance to grab the reader’s attention. The opening of an opinion piece should bring the reader into the article quickly. This is also sometimes referred to as the flash or the lede, and there are two types of flash introductions. They are: Option 1.  Narrative flash . A narrative flash is a story that brings readers into the article. It should be some sort of narrative hook that grabs attention and entices the reader to delve further into the piece. A brief and descriptive anecdote often works well as a narrative flash. It simultaneously catches the reader’s attention and hints at the weightier argument and evidence yet to come.

When I first started writing for US News, I wrote a flash lede to introduce an article about paddling school children. Here’s that text:

Ben Line didn’t think the assistant principal had the strength or the gumption. But he was wrong. The 13-year-old alleges that the educator hit him twice with a paddle in January, so hard it left scarlet lines across his buttocks. Ben’s crime? He says he talked back to a teacher in class, calling a math problem “dumb.”

Option 2.  News flash . Some pieces — especially those tied to the news — can have a lede without a narrative start. Other pieces, including many op-eds, are simply too short to begin with a narrative flash. In either of these instances, using the news flash as your lede is likely your best bet.

If I were writing a news flash lede for the paddling piece, I might start with something as simple as: Congress again is considering legislation to outlaw paddling.

• Billboard  (also often called the nut graph): The billboard portion of the lede should do two things:

First, the “billboard” section should make an argument that elevates the stakes and begins to introduce general evidence and context for the argument. So start to introduce some general evidence to support your argument in the nut portion of the lede.

For an example of a nut graph for a longer piece on say, sibling-on-sibling rivalry, consider the following:  The Smith sisters exemplify a disturbing trend. Research indicates that violence between siblings—defined as the physical, emotional, or sexual abuse of one sibling by another, ranging from mild to highly violent—is likely more common than child abuse by parents. A new report from the University of Michigan Health System indicates the most violent members of American families are indeed the children. Data suggests that three out of 100 children are considered dangerously violent toward a brother or sister, and nine-year-old Kayla Smith is one of those victims: “My sister used to get mad and hit me every once in a while, but now it happens at least twice a week. She just goes crazy sometimes. She’s broken my nose, kicked out two teeth, and dislocated my shoulder.”

Second, the billboard should begin to lay the framework of the piece and flush out important details—with important story components like Who, What, When, Where, How, Why, etc. A good billboard graph often ends with a quote or call to action. Think of it like this: if someone reads only your “billboard” section, she should be able to grasp your argument and the basic details. If you use a narrative flash lede, then the nut paragraph often starts with something like: They are not alone. So in the padding article, for instance, the nut might have been: “Ben is not alone. In fact, 160,000 students are subject to corporal punishment in U.S. schools each year, according to a 2016 social policy report.”

For another example, here’s a history graph from a recent op-ed by John Podesta that ran in the  Washington Post :

“To give some context: On Oct. 7, 2016, WikiLeaks began leaking emails from my personal inbox that had been hacked by Russian intelligence operatives. A few days earlier, Stone — a longtime Republican operative and close confidant of then-candidate Donald Trump — had mysteriously predicted that the organization would reveal damaging information about the Clinton campaign. And weeks before that, he’d even tweeted: ‘Trust me, it will soon [be] Podesta’s time in the barrel.’”

If you’re writing an advice piece, then similar advice applies. A how-to guide for Photoshop, for example, might include recent changes to the program and information on the many ways that Photoshop can be used to edit pictures.

• Demonstrate:  In this section, you must offer specific details to support your argument. If writing an op-ed, this section can be three or four paragraphs long. If writing a column, this section can be six or ten paragraphs long. Either way, the section should outline the most compelling evidence to support your thesis. For my paddling article, for instance, I offered this argument paragraph:  The problem with corporal punishment, Straus stresses, is that it has lasting effects that include increased aggression and social difficulties. Specifically, Straus studied more than 800 mothers over a period from 1988 to 1992 and found that children who were spanked were more rebellious after four years, even after controlling for their initial behaviors. Groups that advocate for children, like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Education Association, oppose the practice in schools for those reasons.

While narrative can be vital when capturing a reader’s attention, it’s equally important to offer hard facts in the evidence section. When demonstrating the details of your argument, be sure to present accurate facts from reputable sources. Studies published in established journals are a good source of evidence, for instance, but blogs with unverified claims are not.

Also, when providing supporting details, you should think about using what the Ancient Greeks called ethos, pathos, and logos. To explain, ethos refers to appeals based on your credibility, that you’re someone worth listening to. For example, if you are arguing why steroids should be banned in baseball, you might talk about how you once used steroids and their terrible impact on your health.

Pathos refers to using evidence that plays to the emotions. For example, if you are trying to show why people should evacuate during hurricanes, you might describe a family who lost their seven-year-old child during a hurricane.

Logos refers to logical statements, typically based on facts and statistics. For example, if you are trying to convince the audience why they should join the military when they are young, provide statistics on their income when they retire and the benefits they receive while in the military.

• Equivocate : You should strengthen your argument by including at least one graph that briefly describes—and then discounts—the strongest counterargument to your point. This is often called the “to be sure” paragraph, and it hedges your bets about the clarity of your piece with phrases such as “to be sure” or “in other words.”Here’s an  example  from a recent op-ed in Bloomberg:  Of course, that doesn’t mean that Hispanics simply change while other Americans stay the same. In  his 2017 book  “The Other Side of Assimilation: How Immigrants Are Changing American Life,” Jimenez recounts how more established American groups change their culture and broaden their horizons based on their personal relationships with more recently arrived immigrant groups. Assimilation isn’t slavish conformity to white norms, but a two-way process where the U.S. is changed by each new group that arrives.
• Forward : This is where you wrap up your piece. It carries greater impact, though, if you can write an ending that has some oomph to it and really looks forward. So try to provide some parting thoughts and, when appropriate to the topic, draw your readers to look toward the future. If you began with a narrative flash lede, it’s optimal whenever possible to find a way to tie back into that introductory story. It allows you to simultaneously finalize the premise of your argument and neatly conclude your article. In an  op-ed  about gun violence that ran last year, minister Jeff Blattner looks toward the future and seamlessly ties the end of his piece back to his lede with this simple but effective kicker:  If we don’t commit ourselves to solving them together—to seeing one another as part of a bigger “us”—we may reap a whirlwind of ever-widening division. Let Pittsburgh, in its grief, show us the way.

An op-ed needs to advance a strong contention. It needs to assert something, and and the first step is write down your argument.

Part III: The ABCs In Example

Now that we have gone over the basic ABC formula, let’s examine a recent blog item and identify the six ABC steps.

Written by E.A. Crunden, the piece appeared in  ThinkProgress  and is titled, “ Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is embroiled in more than one scandal .”

• Attention :  “A controversial contract benefiting a small company based in his hometown is only the latest possible corruption scandal linked to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke…” This opening sentence introduces the most recent news on Zinke while also signaling that other scandals might be discussed in the article.
• Billboard :  “On Monday, nonprofit watchdog group the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) accused Zinke’s dormant congressional campaign of dodging rules prohibiting individuals from converting political donations into individual revenue.” The second paragraph adds more information about Zinke’s alleged missteps.
• Context :  “Zinke’s other ethical close-calls, as the CLC noted, are plentiful.”  This provides some background to the main argument and lets the reader know that Zinke has a long history of questionable ethics, which the author expands upon in the following paragraphs.
• Demonstrate :  “As a Montana congressman, Zinke took thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from oil and gas companies, many of whom drill on the same public lands he now oversees…”  Here the author gives specific evidence of Zinke’s actions that some believe to be unethical. This fortifies the argument. The following few paragraphs continue in this vein.
• Equivocate :  “I had absolutely nothing to do with Whitefish Energy receiving a contract in Puerto Rico,” the interior secretary wrote in a statement on Friday.”  In this case, the equivocation appears in the form of a counterargument. The writer goes on to dismiss it by presenting additional clarifying evidence to support his point.
• Forward:   “Monday’s complaint comes amid a Special Counsel investigation into Zinke’s spending habits, as well as a separate investigation opened by the Interior Department’s inspector general. Audits into Puerto Rico’s canceled contract with Whitefish Energy Holdings are also ongoing.”  These final two sentences “zoom out” from the specifics of the article, showing that the main news item (i.e., Zinke’s poor ethics) will continue to be relevant in the future. These forward-looking sentences also circle back neatly to the point of the flash news lede by reiterating that “Monday’s complaint” is yet another in a growing list against Zinke.

Part IV: Pitching

When it comes to op-eds, most outlets want to review a finished article. In other words, you write the op-ed and then shop it around to different editors. In some cases, the outlet might want a pitch — or brief summary— of the op-ed before you write it.

Either way, you’ll need a short summary, even just a few sentences that describe your argument. Here is an example of the pitch that I wrote that landed me on the front page of the Washington Post’s Outlook section. Note that this pitch is long, but I was aiming for a more feature-like op-ed.

I wanted to pitch a first-person piece looking at Neurocore, the questionable brain-training program that’s funded by Betsy DeVos.  

DeVos just got confirmed as Secretary of Education, and for years, she’s been one of the major investors in Neurocore. Located in Michigan and Florida, the company makes some outlandish promises about brain-based training. The firm has argued, for instance, that its neuro-feedback programs can increase a person’s IQ by up to 12 points.

I was going to take Neurocore’s diagnostic program to get a better sense of the company’s claims. As part of the story, I was also going to discuss the research on neuro-feedback, which is pretty weak. Insurance companies are also skeptical, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan recently refused to reimburse for Neurocore’s treatments. I’d also discuss some of my research in this area and talk about some of the dangers of spreading myths about learning.

There’s been some recent coverage of Neurocore. But the articles have typically focused on the conflict of interest posed by the company since DeVos herself has refused to disinvest. What’s more, no one appears to have written a first-person piece describing the experience of attending one of their brain training diagnostic sessions.

A few bits of advice:

• Newsy.  Whenever possible, build off the news. A good way to drum up interest in your piece is to connect it to current events. People naturally are interested in reading op-eds that are linked to recent news pieces — so, an op-ed on Electoral College reform will be more relevant around election season, for instance. It’s often effective to pitch your piece following a major news event. Even better if you can pitch your op-ed in advance; for example, a piece on voter suppression in the United States might be pitched in advance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Here’s an  article  from McGill University that has some advice on this idea.
• Tailor.  Again, in this step of the process, it’s worth considering the audience of the publication. For example, if you’re writing in the business section of a newspaper, you’ll want to frame the article around business. If you are writing for a sports magazine, you’ll want to write about topics like “Who is the greatest golfer of all time, Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus?”

Also, websites sometimes have information on pitching their editors. Be sure to follow whatever specific advice they give — this will improve your chances of catching an editor’s eye.

Advice pieces describe what you could do, while op-ed pieces show us what we should do.

Part V: FAQs And Tips

I have lots to say. Can I write a 3,000-word op-ed?

Not really. Most blog articles, op-eds, and columns are short. What’s more, your idea is more likely to gain traction if it’s clear and simple. Take the Bible. It can be broken down to a simple idea: Love one another as you love yourself. Or take the Bill of Rights. It can be shortened to: Individuals have protections.

I want to tell a story. Can I do that?

Maybe. If you do, keep it short and reference the story at the top and maybe again at the bottom. But again, the key to an op-ed is that it makes an argument.

What should do before I hit submit?

We could suggest two things:

• Make sure you cite all your sources. Avoid plagiarism of any kind. If you’re in doubt, provide a citation via a link or include endnotes citing your sources.
• Check your facts. The  New York Times  op-ed columnist Bret Stephens says it this way: “Sweat the small stuff. Read over each sentence—read it aloud—and ask yourself: Is this true? Can I defend every single word of it? Did I get the facts, quotes, dates, and spellings exactly right? Yes, sometimes those spellings are hard: the president of Turkmenistan is Gurbanguly Malikguliyevich Berdymukhammedov. But, believe me, nothing’s worse than having to run a correction.” For more guidance, see Stephen’s  list of tips for aspiring op-ed writers .
• Read it out loud. Before I submit something, I’ll read it out loud. It helps me catch typos and other errors. For more on talking out loud as a tool, see this  article  that I pulled together some time ago.

What’s the difference between a blog article and an op-ed?

A blog article can be about anything such as “What I had for lunch today” or “Why I love Disney World.” An op-ed typically revolves around something in the news and is meant to be persuasive. It typically runs in a news outlet of some kind.

What if no one takes my op-ed?

Be patient. You might need to offer your op-ed to multiple outlets before someone decides to publish it, and you can always tweak the op-ed to make it more news-y, tying the article to something that happened in the news that day or week.

Also, look for ways to improve the op-ed. You might, for instance, focus on changing the “attention” section to make it more creative and interesting or try to improve the context section.

What is the best way to start writing an op-ed?

Before writing, make sure to create an outline. I will often write out my topic sentences and make sure that I’m making a strong, evidence-based argument. Then I’ll focus on a creative way to open my op-ed.

Don’t worry if you get writer’s block while writing the “attention” step. You can always come back and make it more interesting. Really, the most important step is having an outline.

Should I hyperlink?

Yes, include hyperlinks in your articles to provide your readers with easy access to additional information.

–Ulrich Boser

16 thoughts on “How To Write an Op-ed: A Step By Step Guide”

Thanks for this excellent refresher!

I am writing this with the hope that the leasing of the port of Haifa will not come to fruition,It will give the Chinese a strong foothold in the middle east. No longer will the United States 6th fleet have a home away from home..May i remind those who are in command that NO OTHER COUNTRY in the world has helped Israel more than the US.and it would be a slap in the face of our best friend and cause many , many consequences in the future for the state of Israel. I pray to G-D that those in charge will come to their senses and hopefully cancel the agreement. M A, Modiin

Excellent piece of writing ideas, Thanks a lot for sharing these amazing tricks.

INTERESABTE TODA LA INFORMACION

Gracias, Julio!

Good information

So glad you enjoyed it!

Glad it was helpful. Did I miss something in your comment?

Well done, But it’s needs practice!! Hands on!

Write with is one of the most critical steps of the writing process and is probably relevant to the first point. If you want to get your blood pumping and give it your best, you might want to write with passion, and give it all you got. How do you do this? Make sure that you have the right mindset whenever you are writing.

Create a five-paragraph editorial about a topic that matters to you.

Reading this I realized I should get some more information on this subject. I feel like there’s a gap in my knowledge. Anyway, thanks.

Thank you very much for your really helpful tips. I’m currently writing a lesson plan to help students write better opinion pieces and your hands-on approach, if a bit too detailed for my needs, is truly valuable. I hope my students will see it the same way 😉

Great article! Will implement these own steps in my own top 10 website!

Thank you for sharing your expertise. Your advice on incorporating storytelling, providing evidence, and addressing counterarguments is invaluable for ensuring the effectiveness and persuasiveness of op-eds.

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170 Opinion Essay Topics to Choose in 2023 for Your Writings

• by Lesley V.
• August 16, 2023 November 10, 2023

Whether in high school or college, opinion writing prompts will follow you. This essay type is a must to master:

Teachers will assign oped papers to check your critical thinking skills. They want to ensure you know how to build arguments and prove your point of view. Academic writing skills are also here: Opinion essays have a structure (1) to follow.

In this article, you’ll find a massive list of good opinion essay topics and ideas to consider for your work. All are strong, divided by subject, and with actionable writing tips to get an A+ for your piece.

What Is an Opinion Essay?

Op-ed essays are formal, representing an author’s personal take on a specific subject. They aren’t about college work only. You could see op-ed posts on social media or journalistic articles in newspapers.

In academia, you’ll also need to mention the opposite point of view in opinion essays. The final paragraph before a conclusion should contain counterarguments (for a fuller discussion).

How to Choose Good Opinion Essay Topics

While teachers can assign a topic for op-ed writing, college students often have freedom of choice here. And that’s where a challenge comes in:

How to choose a good opinion essay topic? How to ensure it’s controversial enough to trigger a discussion? Is it possible to know of it gives you enough argumentation and evidence to support your point?

What is a Good Topic for an Opinion Paper?

Good opinion writing topics have 3 specific characteristics:

• They allow you to develop a strong thesis statement (2).
• You can find enough facts to support your point: examples, reliable sources, quotes, etc.
• They have opposite viewpoints . Avoid topics presenting the ultimate truth: There’s nothing to discuss there.

How to Choose Your Perfect Opinion Writing Prompt?

Opinion essay topics are many. Follow these 5 steps when choosing yours:

• Recheck the requirements. How long should your essay be? Do you need to cover a single issue or discuss a few? Depending on the prompt, not all topics may appear to be appropriate.
• Consider the audience. Who’ll read your paper? Do you write for everyone or a specific group? Choose topics that are relevant and interesting to whom you’ll write.
• Remember about your interests, too. Consider issues of your knowledge and passion. Write about something bothering or exciting you: Such opinion essay topics are easier to craft.
• Recheck the essay’s purpose. Will it educate, persuade, or entertain readers? It can help you narrow down the topic choices.
• Do pre-research. Check if you can find enough sources with reliable information on your chosen topic. Will you have evidence to support your point if writing on this?

Opinion Essay Writing Tips: Start With Easy Prompts

When choosing opinion essay topics, remember you’ll need to structure your paper on it. It’s an academic paper, so please follow the format requirements . Also, you’ll need to cover all the questions related to your chosen topic.

The below writing tips will help ensure you’ve chosen a proper op-ed idea for your essay:

• Brainstorm several topics before writing. Which one does meet the prompt’s requirements best?
• Research . Are there other people investigating and discussing your chosen issue? Will you have enough supporting evidence to use throughout the paper?
• Choose a side . What point of view will you support about the topic?
• Develop a strong thesis and think of arguments you’ll use to prove it.
• Remember to mention an opposite viewpoint. What counterarguments do your opponents have? Choose controversial topics, open to discussions.

20 Opinion Topics to Practice Your Writing Skills

Below are 20 elementary topics teachers assign for 5th-grade or for middle school students. They are easy opinion essay topics to practice writing. Also, they are great to consider when you have no idea what to write about in your piece:

Opinion Essay Topics: Choose Yours And Get A+

So, now you have them: 170 topics for opinion writing! Choose yours:

• Consider the prompt requirements and the target audience of your paper.
• Check if you have enough arguments and evidence to state and support a thesis in the paper.
• Choose a topic that interests you but with counterarguments to add to a paper for discussion.

Which opinion essay topics from the list above have you already covered? And which one would you choose for your next paper or article?

References:

• https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/essay-structure
• https://www.vwu.edu/academics/academic-support/learning-center/pdfs/Thesis-Statement.pdf
• https://www.jscc.edu/academics/programs/writing-center/writing-resources/five-paragraph-essay.html

6 thoughts on “170 Opinion Essay Topics to Choose in 2023 for Your Writings”

Wow! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a completely different topic but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Outstanding choice of colors!

Thank you for providing me with these article examples!

Nice blog! I love how it is easy on my eyes and the data are well written. I am wondering how I could be notified whenever a new post has been made. I’ve subscribed to your RSS which must do the trick! Have a nice day!

Your articles are extremely helpful to me. May I ask for more information?

Thank you for providing so many examples! Now I know what to write in my next paper. 🙂

Many thanks for this list! It’s my top struggle – to decide on a topic for my next essay or article. You’ve nailed it! All the best!

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Op-Ed Examples for Students by Students

by Michael Lydon

“Op-ed pages,” Wikipedia tells me, began in 1921 when a New York newspaper editor, bored by the gossip columns that filled the page facing the paper’s weighty editorials, decided to devote the “opposite editorial page” to opinion pieces for and against the paper’s usual stance on the issues of the day. The page soon became the paper’s best-read feature, and now, three decades into the online news era, many readers, after a quick scan of the day’s headlines, still settle in to read and digest the day’s op-ed columns.

Why? Because news-hungry readers want and need more than meat-and-potatoes facts; they want and need ideas and insights that can put those facts in context. Here, from ElenaH’s entry into Write the World's op-ed competition , is a perfect example of the op-ed perspective:

I am Mexican-American. But, don’t look at me like a criminal. Don’t look at me like a drug-dealer. Look at me like a human being. Look at me like you would look at yourself. We’re all people. Why do we treat each other differently based on where we come from, what we look like, and everything in between? We as Americans need to change our way of thinking towards others based on their origins and looks.

I agree. So much history and so many stories in the daily news prove conclusively that we Americans—many of whose parents and grandparents came from foreign lands—do need to change our thinking about people from the worldwide spectrum of cultures and nationalities. The bold clarity of ElenaH’s argument boosts my determination to see the people around me as human beings like myself.  

Eva Vallo’s op-ed discussion about vegetarianism offers me no hard and fast answers:

Have you really researched being vegetarian? Are you vegetarian?  If I were you, I would check your facts.  This isn’t the best for you.  Some people think that it is not okay to eat meat. They think it is gross and harmful to animals.  Others think that it’s fine.  There are pros and cons of both.  People should eat meat because it’s healthy for you.

Instead she challenges me to check my facts, and her balanced approach—“Some people think that it is not okay to eat meat…Others think that it’s fine” challenges me to figure out what diet would be best for me.

Xojadex, from Australia, compares American and Australian healthcare, finds the American system wanting, and argues for the importance of free and/or subsidized health care:

Today in our generation, the government are making us citizens pay to visit the GP and hospitals. People with a disease or just a simple bone fracture are expected to pay for their needs and care. Medicare covered all the costs from a simple medication to life saving surgeries but our government is taking that away from us. In Australia, we are lucky that we have been provided with Medicare and our hospital costs.

Erin E GCL calls the CIA “America’s Eye,” a necessary weapon but one that’s susceptible to abuse:

Every country needs a way to protect themselves. An eye into what is going on in their country and around the world. The United States’ eye is the CIA. The issue relates to where the line should be crossed. How far can the CIA go before they have invaded our civil rights and privacy? This topic is not black and white especially since their purpose is to protect and defend our nation.

These op-eds I’ve quoted cover only a few of the subjects that WtW ’s writers are ready, willing, and eager to speak their minds on. AudreyDGCL questions the value of homework in high school: “More harmful than helpful?” Zoe Skaggs hates breeding mills that sell puppies weeks before they should be separated from their mothers. Tiffanys20 quotes studies showing that “when students are not permitted cell phone use during school they become more academically involved.” BenjaminR20 thinks that sports improve students’ “dedication…and focus.” What matters most to AlaynaK is “gender equality”:

“… [inequality] is not fair for women. Women work just as hard as men and they get paid less. Your gender should not get in the way of how you support your family. Also your gender should not get in the way of your education.”

Planned Parenthood, abortion, game animal trophy hunting, taking classroom notes with a pencil or a laptop, childhood beauty pageants—whether on big issues or small, the op-ed articles you young writers are submitting go on and on, all well-written, all passionate, and all, if not convincing, at very least, eye-opening and mentally stimulating.

I know, of course, that writing op-ed pieces may well not be what pulls you to your desk. You may hope to write novels, poems, plays, movie scripts and memoirs, and I say, more power to you! Yet I also urge you to keep your opinion-writing skills sharp. Why? Here’s one reason: because writing logical argument requires many kinds of writing excellence. To win readers to your side of any issue will require clarity, simplicity, empathy, and humor. You’ll need to tell stories, to create resonant metaphors and pulsing rhythms; you’ll need to build climaxes that ebb to resolute endings.

Yet there is a reason to write in the op-ed style that’s more important than penning distinctive prose, and here’s that reason: democracies around the world depend on people of every kind and color speaking their minds with a forthright confidence in order to create real social change.  

So, about any issue of current interest that awakens your “I gotta speak my mind” impulse, learn all you can, then speak up! Write up! Tell your friends, your neighbors in your town, your state, your country, and the world we all share, how you feel about any debate that interests you.

Evelyn Beatrice Hall’s bold “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it ” is now a foundation stone bequeathed to us as a most fortunate inheritance, but remember, when Hall first declared the idea at the turn of the twentieth century, it was the voice of one person, a person like yourself. So in the months and years ahead, let’s all keep putting in our op-ed two cents worth—they may be more valuable than we think!

About Michael

Michael Lydon is a writer and musician who lives in New York City. Author of many books, among them Rock Folk, Boogie Lightning, Ray Charles: Man and Music, and Writing and Life. A founding editor of Rolling Stone, Lydon has written for many periodicals as well, the Atlantic Monthly, New York Times, and Village Voice. He is also a songwriter and playwright and, with Ellen Mandel, has composed an opera, Passion in Pigskin. A Yale graduate, Lydon is a member of ASCAP, AFofM local 802, and on the faculty of St. John’s University.

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Ultimate guide to writing an opinion essay: 50 inspiring examples and topics, carla johnson.

• June 14, 2023
• Essay Topics and Ideas , How to Guides

An opinion essay is often given to students at all levels of schooling. In this type of essay, the writer has to say what they think about a certain topic or issue and back up their point with evidence and examples. Students should learn how to write opinion essays because they teach them how to think critically and how to explain and defend a point of view. Opinion essays are an important part of academic writing, but they are also a great way to learn persuasive communication skills that you can use in your personal and professional life. This article will tell you everything you need to know about how to write an opinion essay. It will also give you 50 examples and ideas to help you get started. We will talk about the basic structure of an opinion essay and how to make a strong argument and back it up with facts and examples.

This guide will give you the tools you need to learn how to write a good opinion essay, whether you are a student looking to improve your academic writing or a professional looking to improve your persuasive communication skills .

What You'll Learn

Understanding Opinion Essays

Opinion essays are a type of academic writing in which the writer has to say what they think about a certain topic or issue. In an opinion essay, the writer should back up their point of view with evidence and examples and try to get the reader to agree with them. The point of opinion essays is to teach students how to think critically and talk in a way that makes others want to agree with them. If students want to do well in school, on the job, and in their personal lives, they need to have these skills. Opinion essays are different from descriptive or narrative essays because the writer has to take a clear stance on a certain topic and back up their claim with evidence and examples. It’s also important to have a clear thesis statement that explains the writer’s point of view.

Elements of an Opinion Essay

An opinion essay typically includes the following elements:

1. Introduction paragraph : The introduction should grab the reader’s attention and provide background information on the topic. It should also include a clear thesis statement that outlines the writer’s position.

2. Body paragraphs: The body of the essay should provide supporting evidence and examples to support the writer’s argument. Each paragraph should focus on a single point and should begin with a topic sentence that relates back to the thesis statement .

3. Supporting evidence and examples: It is important to use evidence and examples to support the writer’s argument. This can include statistics, facts, quotes, and personal experiences.

4. Counter arguments: It’s also important to address counter arguments or opposing viewpoints in an opinion essay. This shows the reader that the writer has considered alternative perspectives and has still arrived at their own position. Addressing counter arguments can also strengthen the writer’s position by showing that they have thought critically about the issue .

5. Conclusion paragraph: The conclusion should summarize the main points of the essay and restate the thesis statement . It should also leave the reader with a final thought or call to action.

Opinion essays are an important genre of academic writing that require critical thinking and persuasive communication skills. To write an effective opinion essay, it is important to have a clear thesis statement , use supporting evidence and examples, address counter arguments, and provide a strong conclusion. By mastering the elements of an opinion essay, students can develop their writing skills and become more effective communicators.

Writing Process of an Opinion Essay

Writing an opinion essay requires careful planning and organization. Here are the steps to follow when writing an opinion essay:

1. Pre-writing strategies: Before you start writing, it’s important to brainstorm ideas and gather information on your topic . This can include researching your topic , making a list of arguments and counterarguments, and creating a mind map or outline.

2. Outlining an opinion essay : Once you have gathered your ideas, create an outline to organize your thoughts and develop a clear structure for your essay . Your outline should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

3. Writing the introduction: The introduction should grab the reader’s attention and provide some background information on the topic. It should end with a thesis statement that clearly states your position on the issue.

4. Developing body paragraphs: The body of the essay should provide supporting evidence and examples to support your argument. Each paragraph should focus on a single point and should begin with a topic sentence that relates back to the thesis statement.

5. Using evidence and examples to support your argument: Use evidence and examples to support your argument. This can include statistics, facts, quotes, and personal experiences.

6. Addressing counter arguments: It’s important to address counterarguments or opposing viewpoints in an opinion essay. This shows the reader that you have considered alternative perspectives and have still arrived at your own position. Addressing counter arguments can also strengthen your position by showing that you have thought critically about theissue.

7. Writing the conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the main points of your essay and restate your thesis statement . It should also leave the reader with a final thought or call to action.

Tips and Techniques for Writing a Strong Opinion Essay

To write a strong opinion essay, follow these tips and techniques:

1. Writing with clarity and precision: Use clear and concise language to express your ideas. Avoid using too many complex words or phrases that may confuse the reader.

2. Crafting an effective thesis statement: Your thesis statement should be clear and concise, and it should clearly state your position on the issue.

3. Using transitional words and phrases: Use transitional words and phrases to connect your ideas and make your essay flow smoothly. Examples include “however,” “on the other hand,” and “in addition.”

4. Avoiding logical fallacies: Logical fallacies are errors in reasoning that can weaken your argument. Examples include ad hominem attacks, straw man arguments, and false causality.

5. Editing and proofreading: After you have written your essay, take the time to edit and proofread it carefully. Look for spelling and grammar errors, and make sure that your ideas are presented clearly and logically.

Writing an opinion essay requires careful planning, organization, and attention to detail. By following the steps outlined above and using the tips and techniques provided, you can craft a strong and persuasive opinion essay that effectively communicates your position on the issue at hand.

10 Inspiring Opinion Essay Examples

To help you understand what makes a strong opinion essay, here are 10 examples of well-written opinion essays, along with a detailed analysis of what makes each essay effective:

1. “The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet” by Jane Smith

2. The Importance of Early Childhood Education” by John Doe

3. The Negative Effects of Social Media on Teenagers” by Sarah Johnson

4. The Pros and Cons of Online Learning” by Tom Brown

5. “The Need for Stricter Gun Control Laws” by Emily Davis

6. “The Ethics of Animal Testing” by Rachel Lee

7. The Benefits of Exercise for Mental Health” by David Nguyen

8. “The Importance of Diversity in the Workplace” by Maria Hernandez

9. The Harmful Effects of Plastic Pollution on the Environment” by Alex Lee

10. The Need for Universal Healthcare in the United States” by Samantha Jones

Each of these essays effectively communicates the writer’s position on a particular issue and provides strong supporting evidence and examples. By analyzing these essays , you can learn important lessons about how to effectively structure and develop an opinion essay.

50 Opinion Essay Topics That Will Impress Your Professors

To help you choose a topic for your opinion essay, here are 50 unique and engaging opinion essay topics that are relevant and important:

1. The impact of social media on interpersonal communication

2. The benefits and drawbacks of homeschooling

3. The role of technology in modern education

4. The need for stricter penalties for hate crimes

5. The impact of climate change on the global economy

6. The ethics of genetically modified foods

7. The impact of automation on jobs and the workforce

8. The effects of video games on children’s behavior

9. The need for better mental health support in schools

10. The benefits and drawbacks of remote work

11. The impact of social media on mental health

12. The need for stronger anti-bullying policies in schools

13. The effects of the gig economy on workers’ rights

14. The benefits and drawbacks of artificial intelligence

15. The impact of fast fashion on the environment

16. The ethics of animal agriculture

17. The need for more affordable housing in urban areas

18. The impact of immigration on local communities

19. The effects of screen time on children’s development

20. The need for stronger gun control laws

21. The impact of social media on political discourse

22. The benefits and drawbacks of renewable energy sources

23. The need for stronger anti-discrimination laws

24. The effects of legalization of marijuana on society

25. The impact of automation on the environment

26. The ethics of human cloning

27. The need for more accessible healthcare in rural areas

28. The effects of income inequality on society

29. The benefits and drawbacks of online dating

30. The impact of virtual reality on society

31. The need for stronger data privacy laws

32. The ethics of artificial intelligence in decision-making

33. The effects of social media on democracy

34. The impact of globalization on local economies

35. The benefits and drawbacks of autonomous vehicles

36. The need for stronger measures to combat cyberbullying

37. The effects of air pollution on public health

38. The ethics of euthanasia and assisted suicide

39. The impact of the sharing economy on traditional industries

40. The need for better access to mental health care for veterans

41. The benefits and drawbacks of cryptocurrency

42. The impact of space exploration on society

43. The ethics of gene editing

44. The need for stronger measures to combat human trafficking

45. The effects of social media on body image and self-esteem

46. The impact of automation on the future of work

47. The benefits and drawbacks of a cashless society

48. The need for stronger measures to combat domestic violence

49. The effects of social media on relationships

50. The impact of artificial intelligence on education

Choose a topic for your opinion essay that is important to you and about which you have strong feelings. Use the ideas and tips in this article to come up with a strong argument and back it up with proof and examples . With these tools, you can write a great opinion essay that will impress your professors and get your point across clearly.

1. What is the difference between an opinion essay and a persuasive essay?

An opinion essay and a persuasive essay are similar in that they both require the writer to express their viewpoint on a particular topic or issue. However, a persuasive essay is more focused on convincing the reader to take a particular action or adopt a particular viewpoint, while an opinion essay is more focused on expressing the writer’s personal perspective on the issue.

2. Can I include personal anecdotes in my opinion essay?

Yes, personal anecdotes can be a powerful tool for supporting your argument and making your essay more engaging. However, it’s important to ensure that your anecdotes are relevant to the topic and that they support your overall argument .

3. How do I address counterarguments in my essay?

To address counterarguments in your essay, consider presenting them in a separate paragraph or section of your essay . Then, explain why you disagree with the counterargument and provide evidence and examples to support your position.

4. How do I choose a topic for my opinion essay?

Choose a topic that you are passionate about and that you have a strong opinion on. Consider current events , social issues, or topics related to your field of study.

5. What is the recommended length for an opinion essay?

The length of an opinion essay can vary depending on the assignment requirements. However, a typical opinion essay is usually around 500-800 words.

6. What are some common mistakes to avoid when writing an opinion essay?

When writing an opinion essay, some common mistakes to avoid are not having a clear thesis statement, using weak or irrelevant evidence to back up your argument, not addressing counterarguments, and not proofreading your essay for mistakes. It’s important to take the time to carefully plan and edit your essay to make sure it clearly shows your point of view and gives strong evidence and examples to back up your argument.

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Opinion essay , like other academic papers, requires writers to express their take on a given subject. Many may confuse this essay type with a persuasive paper, which is wrong. As a writer, you are required to take a side and provide an argument that will support your point of view. Since opinion essays are commonly written across different educational levels, it is important to learn about potential research topics. Students often struggle to identify and work on good opinion essay topics. Are you looking for excellent opinion subjects or means to develop one? Continue reading this blog from our professional writing service to learn the definition of an opinion paper and explore different opinion writing topics that you can use in essays.

What Are Opinion Essay Topics?

Opinion papers rank among the commonly issued assignments in learning institutions. So, what is an opinion essay topic? It is a subject that attracts divergent outlooks and ideas from readers and thus enables writers to develop arguments that support a certain take. It is even much easier to write about an opinion topic if it has many differing sentiments. If the title is controversial, a writer can select and build on broad scopes of argumentation available. Unlike when writing a persuasive essay, students do not need to convince readers about a given stand. Although one can draw discussions from different fields – education, healthcare, social media, technology, government, and music, among others – opinion topics share some common characteristics.

Characteristics of Good Opinion Topics

Although people pick subject matters from a wide array of disciplines, good opinion essay topics share some traits. Some of these attributes are discussed below:

• A writer can find supportive evidence from reliable research and sources. A quality opinion topic should have examples, facts, and clear evidence that can be used to support a given standpoint.
• It should have opposite viewpoints. A topic that has different angles is preferred when developing an opinion paper.
• The topic should accommodate development of a strong thesis statement.

How to Choose an Opinion Topic Idea?

There are many subject areas to pick issues from. To select an exceptional opinion essay topic, you need to follow these steps:

• Determine a field that you are passionate about. Your topic should be related to your individual experience, personal skills, or a subject you have researched exhaustively.
• Conduct a brainstorming session to help select and adjust opinions to write about within your preferred discipline.
• Once you create your potential opinion ideas list, conduct research to ascertain viability of all options. A good topic should have evidence, facts, and examples from reliable sources.
• You should have a strong opinion on topics you wish to discuss.

If you follow these steps, you will choose a topic that appeals to your personal interests and can be developed comprehensively with good evidence. Feel free to contact StudyCrumb for expert advice and college essay writing help .

List of the Best Opinion Writing Topics

A student should be able to select good topics for opinion writing. Today, you can find numerous opinion subjects online. You just need a smartphone with access to the internet! Although you can find various opinion essay topics online, you should strive to choose the best titles. Below are sample best opinion topics:

• Is gun control used as a political control tool among Americans?
• Is global warming a true phenomenon?
• Does access to social media content and video negatively affect children’s behaviors?
• Should smartphone usage be accepted in colleges and other higher education institutions?
• Does watching action films promote violence among children?
• Role of music in different age groups.
• Role of government in promoting freedom of speech.
• Should parents learn to use the internet and communicate online?
• Are human beings putting adequate effort toward environmental management?
• What is your take on right to privacy?

Interesting Opinion Essay Topics

You should consider opinion essay topics that would easily capture your target audience’s attention. Lucky for you, there are many different opinion editorials topics to choose from. Examples of such captivating issues include:

• Is an electric car better than a petrol vehicle?
• Impact of World War II on the issue of racism in America.
• Is religion important in school curricula?
• Gender roles in modern society.
• Should the COVID-19 jab be mandatory for all?
• Disparities in services and racial bias in USA's healthcare industry.
• Impact of gender neutrality and fluidity on modern language.
• Are virtual classes better than physical sessions?
• Pop stars influence fashion and present-day societal norms.
• Role of physical exercise in alleviating the obesity pandemic in the United States.
• Impact of vegetarianism on human health.
• Is medical research on human subjects ethical?
• Impact of World War II on gender roles in Europe and America.
• Police brutality and its impact on the fight against racism.
• Ownership of firearms by people improves safety and security of private citizens.

Easy Opinion Paper Topics

Unlike other complex subjects, easy opinion essay topics take writers a shorter period to develop. You also do not need to put too much effort into writing such a paper. Teachers in lower education levels rely on these types of opinion papers topics to train better writing skills. Below is a list of simplest opinion topics that you can use:

• Effect of the Cold War on the relationship between Russia and the USA.
• Role of Presidents from your own perspective.
• Social media platforms do more harm than good.
• The USA is the best country in the world.
• Are men and women treated equally in the USA?
• Are print books better than e-books in this modern era?
• What is your ethical opinion on caged wild animals?
• Impact of exercise and physical education on stress.
• Should children have full access to the internet?
• Virtual learning and its benefits.
• Are social media platforms making people less social?
• Reason why politicians should rely on technology.
• How can you stay healthy during a lockdown?
• Can solar power alleviate climate change?
• Impact of the cancellation culture on public discussions.

Good Topics for Opinion Essays

If people select good opinion writing topics, they can express their point of view on such subjects in a better way. One can find deep and extensive topical knowledge on the issue online. A writer can comfortably defend their belief and inclinations with solid, reliable evidence. Common good op ed ideas include:

• Should parents take part in their children’s educational journey?
• What is the overall impact of making marijuana legal?
• How can gender-based violence issues be resolved in America?
• Weaknesses of current US immigration policies.
• Is depression a public health issue in the United States?
• Gender equity policies and affirmative action in US military departments.
• Does social media promote depression among teenagers and young adults?
• Role of government social welfare programs in promoting poverty.
• Anger management and its relationship with gender-based violence.
• Office versus virtual working environment.
• Is there a connection between drug abuse and gender-based violence?
• Will the world ever attain total peace?
• Can genetically modified organisms (GMOs) be a solution to world hunger?
• Are people doing enough to negate climate change effects?
• Is euthanasia ethical and justified?

Opinion Editorial Topics

Senior authors and editors usually have a section in newspapers, magazines, or any other publication, where they express their viewpoints on a given matter. Good op ed topics attract wide audiences and thus can be used to influence readers. Examples of topics for opinion articles are outlined below:

• Is the existing gun control legislation adequate in addressing increased mass shootings in America?
• The future of GMOs and food security.
• Are we winning the war against global warming?
• In your opinion, what should be the minimum marrying age in America?
• Impact of oil spillage on the marine ecosystem.
• Benefits of physical exercise on physiological and mental health.
• Can the human race inhabit Mars successfully?
• Is it viable to replace fossil fuels with alternative clean energy sources in the aviation industry?
• Should doping be accepted in sports?
• Sex education should be taught to children by their parents.

Topics and Ideas for Opinion Writing by Subject

People can choose essay topics from various disciplines. With adequate research, you can list and develop arguments on numerous issues within every subject. There is a wide variety of options, which can ensure that you always discuss issues that interest you. As a writer, you can select a topic from various subjects, including political science, history, public opinion, environmental issues, technology, parenting, education, social media, and psychology, among others. Irrespective of the discipline, opinion writing ideas must be written in a specific format and structure. This section discusses common topics for opinion essays from different disciplines.

Opinion Topics in Political Science

Politics ranks among the most discussed subjects worldwide. Besides, people have diverging and contradicting takes on topics related to political science. Furthermore, since these decisions affect almost everyone, Political Science opinion essay topics attract great interest from the public. Below is a list of opinion topics in this discipline:

• Rule of law and its unbiased application to everyone.
• Strengths and weaknesses of the US electoral system.
• Terrorism as a political tool.
• Immigration policy and its effect on minority families.
• US foreign policies in the Middle Eastern countries.
• Relationship between politics and climate change initiatives.
• How politics affect mainstream media.
• Political conflicts between Israel and Palestine.
• The collision between federal and state legislation.
• Should governments regulate religious practices?
• Should the minimum age for voting be reduced?
• How can governments address corruption problems?
• Capitalism is superior to socialism.
• Strengths and weaknesses of the American system of governance.

>> View more: Topics of Political Science

History Opinion Essay Ideas

Historical events influence our current decisions. It is, therefore, no surprise that many people take a keen interest in History opinion essay topics. Issues related to past wars, civil riots, and political decisions have drawn great debates over the years. Check a list of top 15 essay topics on the subject below:

• Thanksgiving from Native Americans’ historical view.
• United States’ role in World War I.
• Industrial Revolution and its effect on population distribution.
• Contribution of Slavery to current economic and social inequalities in USA.
• The Holocaust and its role in shaping current world politics.
• Abolition of slavery in the United States.
• Did the Election of President Barack Obama influence the issue of racism in America?
• Impact of the 9/11 tragedy on United States foreign policy.
• Importance of the American Civil Rights movement in promoting gender and racism equity in America.
• Was the Vietnam war justified from the American point of view?
• Martin Luther King’s contribution to the fight against racial discrimination.
• How did the 19th Amendment empower women in the 1920s?
• Are history lessons important in present-day school curricula?
• What was the role of the trade union movement in promoting workers’ rights?
• Impact of colonialism on current economic inequalities between countries worldwide.

Public Opinion Essay Topics

Public opinion, as a discipline, encompasses common beliefs, ideas, perspectives, and attitudes shared among many members of the community. Information on public opinion essay topics is often collected through polls. In many cases, the public is concerned with topic opinion related to politics. Take a look at examples outlined below:

• Public transportation systems should be free.
• The public transportation system in New York is inconvenient.
• Should abortion be fully legal?
• The Obamacare program was a disaster.
• Mainstream media is nowadays a tool for propagating political agendas and narratives.
• Should COVID-19 vaccine injection be compulsory?
• Medical and recreational use of marijuana should be legal.
• Should teachers carry firearms in classrooms?
• Social media has increased cyberbullying among youths.
• The US healthcare system is incompetent in dealing with increased mental health and suicide cases.
• Should military qualification test standards be lowered to accommodate women?
• Police departments in America have failed in their community outreach programs.
• Police racism has negatively affected the relationship between law enforcement departments and the public.
• How can the government deal with the increased homelessness problem in American cities?
• The COVID-19 vaccine should be offered free of charge.

Environmental Topics for Opinion Essays

With the fight against climate change growing in momentum, people are increasingly reading op-ed topics related to environmental change and management. This subject attracts controversial viewpoints, which makes it very interesting. You can find an issue that resonates with you from the environmental opinion essay topics below:

• Dangers of large-scale commercial farming to the environment.
• Overfishing should be regulated globally.
• Is global warming a real phenomenon?
• Effect of human activity on flora and fauna.
• Can solar power alleviate the problem of air pollution?
• Effect of mass concrete construction on environment.
• Does excessive consumption of beef have a negative effect on the environment?
• Alternative clean energy solutions can slow down climate change.
• Electric cars are better for the environment compared to petrol engine vehicles.
• Impact of oil spillage on marine and dry-land ecosystems.
• Tree planting is a viable solution for rapid climate change.
• Effect of farm inputs on the environment.
• How can wildfires be prevented?
• Effect of global warming on human health.
• The government should introduce legislation to regulate emissions.

Education Opinion Topics to Write About

The existence and continuous growth of the human race rely on education hugely. It is, therefore, only fair for people to express their opinions on topics on the subject. Some of the common education opinion essay topics are outlined in this section:

• Is distance learning a viable replacement for face-to-face learning in classrooms?
• How does the expensive cost of education affect learners in the United States?
• Student loans in tertiary education negatively affect the economic well-being of students after school.
• How can the government address the issue of mass shootings in schools?
• How soon should sex education be taught in school?
• What is the effect of social media on student learning?
• How can technology improve learning outcomes in schools?
• Should instructors punish learners in schools?
• Educational institutions should introduce healthier meals in their cafeteria.
• Gender equality in education has positively affected economic development.
• Should religious education be incorporated into school curricula?
• What are the effects of social and economic classes on student performance?
• Impact of career choice decisions in school on pay gap between men and women.
• Are private schools better than public schools?
• Disparities in the quality of educational facilities across various ethnic communities in the US.

You can browse special education research topics  and get some new ideas for your opinion essay.

Psychology Opinion Based Questions

The increased cases of mental health issues and suicide have made Psychology opinion essay topics very popular. Today, these opinion essay questions are raised among medical professionals, legislators, and even the general public. Below are the top 15 talking points on this subject:

• What is the impact of physical exercise on mental health?
• Psychological effects of yoga and meditation.
• What are the effects of social media on an individual’s mental health?
• How does an unhealthy work/life balance affect the psychological health of people?
• Effects of violent films on the mental development of children.
• How can the healthcare sector better address increased cases of depression?
• Role of pop stars in shaping the psychological growth and well-being of children.
• How emotional support pets help in improving mental health.
• Should parents regulate children’s access to the internet?
• How can schools better utilize guidance and counseling departments to prevent mass shootings by students?
• How does bullying affect mental health of students?
• How does negative stigma toward autistic students affect their performance in school?
• What teaching methods can be used for students who are mentally disabled?
• Effect of childhood experience on adults.
• Effect of divorce and domestic violence on children’s mental development.

Philosophy Opinion Essay Topics

Human beings have, for the longest time, expressed their opinion on different philosophies. Since society and laws are built on various schools of thought, opinion piece topics on this subject are very common. Below are some of the Philosophy opinion paper ideas:

• Strengths of the utilitarian school of thought.
• Should capital punishment be abolished?
• What are the ethical issues linked to abortion?
• What are the effects of environment and nurture on child development?
• The difference between determinism and freedom.
• Benefits of democracy over absolutism.
• The spread of Confucianism around the world.
• How does a personal fable lead people to commit life-changing mistakes?
• What is the true meaning of happiness?
• Critical evaluation of Puritan culture and beliefs.
• Effect of the “world revolves around me” fallacy on quality of life.
• The theory of deontology and consequentialism in America’s correction system.
• Impact of Confucianism on western culture.
• Does God Exist?
• The discordance between free will and determinism.

Social Media Opinion Article Ideas

In the current age of smartphones and the internet, social media is huge. Almost every person has some level of presence on social media platforms. The effect of social media on people’s daily lives has caused a significant interest in op ed topics on the subject. Some of the common opinion article topics on Social Media are listed below:

• Effect of social media on students’ performance in school.
• How does social media impact the psychological and behavioral growth of children?
• Should parents limit children’s access to social media content?
• How should children be protected from cyberbullying on social media?
• Evolving roles of social media in online marketing.
• Social media is a source of depression among some young adults.
• Has social media normalized hate speech and behaviors?
• How can social media be used in the current education system?
• The role of social media in promoting a sedentary lifestyle.
• How can social media be used to promote environmental management and climate change awareness?
• Effect of social media on face-to-face relationships.
• Impact of social media on group mind and social pressure.
• How can online messaging platforms be used to promote activism and revolution globally?
• Role of social media on cultural exchange across communities.
• Effect of social media on individuals’ self-esteem and confidence.

Culture Opinion Essay Topics

This discipline focuses on language, religion, art, and mentality. Since these aspects vary from one community to another, many opinion essays topics attract a great deal of debate. Common opinion piece ideas include:

• Is present-day culture based on recent decades?
• The internet has revolutionized the music industry and destroyed record companies.
• Changes in cultural stereotypes and social prejudice across various age groups.
• Effect of internet and globalization on traditional fashion styles.
• The replacement of traditional acoustic instruments by computer programs has changed the music culture globally.
• The widespread access to the internet has resulted in the rise of social media stars.
• Stars and popular figures have the potential to influence public opinion.
• Are high divorce rates an indicator of the changing marriage culture in the US?
• Is recreational use of drugs part of modern US culture?
• Will classical music ever grow out of fashion?
• Development of hybrid culture due to intercultural exchange.
• Effect of religion and culture on legislation.
• Should culture be taught in a school setup?
• Role of movies in propagating cultural information.
• Effect of diversity on America’s food culture.

Literature Opinion Essay Topics

People have enjoyed literature throughout human history. It is common to find persons discussing and exploring different interpretations of a given literature opinion paragraph topic. Below are some of the good topics for opinion writing in Literature:

• Do you prefer reading an entire classic book in an e-books format and in hardcopy?
• Why has the reading culture been reduced recently?
• Gender bigotry and prejudice in 17th-century English literature.
• Are books on the verge of elimination due to technological advancement?
• Themes of love and death in Shakespearean literature .
• Does reading result in better spelling skills?
• Difference between Western and Eastern literature.
• Can reading a book help relieve stress?
• What can be done to reclaim the lost Native American literature?
• Challenges of teaching foreign literature.
• Is there a need to limit English literature in institutions of higher education?
• Importance of the internet in facilitating the sharing of literature around the world.
• Classic literature should be made available at no cost.
• How can English language grammar be preserved?

Sports Opinion Paper Topics

Whether you are an athlete or a sports fan, you must have had a heated sports debate at least once. The emotional aspect of sports makes opinionated essay topics on Sports very common. Examples of opinion topic ideas are presented here:

• Nutrition is necessary for athletic success.
• Is bodybuilding a sport?
• Are professional athletes over or underpaid?
• Should psychological and mental health be considered in sports training programs?
• Is doping ethical?
• Should controlled doping be allowed in some sports?
• Is animal sport ethical?
• How vital are sports in school curricula?
• Why do some athletes struggle after retirement?
• Importance of statistics in sports analysis and match preparation.
• How can the gap between male and female sports be reduced?
• Are injuries indicators of an athlete’s level of physical fitness?
• How can you reduce the dangers associated with extreme sports and motorsport?
• Can supplements improve the performance of an athlete?
• How can you incorporate the LGBTQ+ community into sports?

Ideas for Opinion Essay for Students

Teachers often require students to compose opinion essays. These articles train learners to better express their opinion and build their argument skills. Opinion essay topic ideas vary depending on the student’s education level. Since each education level has different learning objectives and outcomes, the complexity and the research levels required to complete such assignments differ. The format for this academic paper does not, however, vary, irrespective of the level. This section explores op-ed ideas for different education levels, particularly high school and college levels. You may also browse our persuasive essay topics  and find some interesting ideas for your writing.

Opinion Essay Topics for High School

Even high school students have personal views! They are perfectly able to prepare essays on opinionated topics. Opinion essay topics for high school can be derived from a variety of disciplines. Below are titles that learners can discuss:

• Is social media negatively affecting social interaction?
• What are the benefits and disadvantages of homework?
• Should parents limit social media usage among high school students?
• Does cheating count as academic misconduct?
• Should gym classes be made mandatory in high school?
• Should students wear uniform attire to school?
• Should the use of mobile phones be allowed in classrooms?
• What are the advantages of group tasks?
• How can bullying be prevented in school?
• Do reading novels and fictional literature improve academic performance?

Opinion Essay Topics for College

The opinion paragraph topics for college students are a little bit more complex compared to articles written by high schoolers. Other than that, opinion essay topics for college level, just like high school, can be drawn from any subject. Below are some examples:

• Are traditional family values under threat in the United States?
• Should the death penalty be considered in capital crime cases?
• How can the government address the existing economic inequality in the United States?
• Should unintentional plagiarism be penalized?
• How can schools reduce depression among college students?
• How does the virtual education model compare with physical classrooms?
• How does social media promote cultural bias?
• Application of technology in college education.
• Is it ethical for students to develop intimate relationships with students?
• The weaknesses of the United States immigration policy.

Bottom Line on Opinion Essay Topics

In sum, you can choose opinion story ideas from various disciplines depending on your interest. With adequate research, anybody can write a good opinion article. This type of essay should follow a specific format. Irrespective of the issue, your paper should have a strong thesis statement. The quality of your essay will also depend on the amount of clear supporting evidence you’ve provided. Also, always remember to mention and talk about opposing points of view.

Our academic writing service is just what you need. Order an essay from experts and forget about stress. Backed by solid experience, our writers compose great essays on any topic.

FAQ About Opinion Essay Topics

1. what are some opinion topics.

Depending on your passion, you can choose opinion topics from your preferred subject. Below are some of the opinion topics:

• Impact of divorce on child development.
• What are the potential solutions for human trafficking?
• How does poor education in low-income communities promote crime?
• Why has the United States not had a female president so far?

3. How to come up with topics for an opinion essay?

To select good topics for opinion essays, you need to know your passion. You are more likely to write a better paper if you have a great interest in topics. Once you have identified your preferred discipline, select a topic you can develop with adequate evidence. You can also have a brainstorming session to come up with topics.

2. What are intriguing opinion essay topics?

You might find opinion essay topics listed below to be interesting:

• What measures can be taken to reverse the climate change process?
• New roles of social media in business operations.
• The role of technology in improving learning outcomes.
• Taming wild animals within a restricted zoo area is unethical.

4. What are some examples of opinion writing topics?

Below are some examples of topics for opinion writing:

• Learning institutions should help parents and guardians in controlling children’s screen time.
• Does racial profiling negatively affect the relationship between police departments and the American public?
• Is America’s middle class getting overwhelmed by the high class?
• Are physical and cyberbullying indications that perpetrators are insecure?

Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.

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331 Opinion Essay Topics & Good Ideas

18 January 2024

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Opinion essay topics offer expressing personal viewpoints on a variety of issues. Some themes include politics, social norms, environment, technology, culture, and ethics. These topics can deal with controversial subjects, such as gun control or climate change, allowing writers to delve into multiple perspectives and present reasoned arguments. Alternatively, they can revolve around lifestyle choices, like vegetarianism or remote work. Other engaging themes may involve critiquing art or literature or expressing views on societal expectations and norms. In essence, these topics require one to reflect on personal experiences, observations, or research, stimulating thought-provoking conversations and encouraging critical thinking. Despite their diversity, all opinion essay topics offer readers a new insight into the author’s perspective, fostering a deeper understanding of the world.

Top Opinion Essay Topics

• Digital Privacy: A Fundamental Right or a Trade-Off for Security?
• Vegetarianism: Is It a Healthier Lifestyle Choice?
• Exploring Work-Life Balance in the Modern World
• Global Warming: Time for Urgent Action
• Social Media Influence on Teenagers
• Public Funding for the Arts: Essential or Extravagant?
• Examining Capital Punishment: An Ethical Dilemma
• E-Sports Deserves Olympic Recognition
• Paid Parental Leave: A Necessity in Modern Society
• Books vs. E-Books: Battle of the Formats
• Multilingual Education: A Path to Global Citizenship
• Does Homework Enhance Student Learning?
• Animal Testing: Is It Ethically Justifiable?
• Online Learning: A Future of Education
• Genetically Modified Foods: Solution to Global Hunger or a Pandora’s Box?
• Feminism in the 21st Century
• Plastic Bags: Should They Be Banned Globally?
• Privatization of Space Exploration
• Should Voting Be Made Mandatory?
• Automation and Its Effects on Employment

Simple Opinion Essay Topics

• Should Schools Have Uniforms?
• Sports or Arts: Which Is More Important in School?
• Pets in Every Home: A Good Idea?
• Long Summer Holidays: Are They Necessary?
• Handwriting Skills in the Digital Age
• Should Junk Food Be Banned in Schools?
• Public Libraries: Still Relevant?
• Are Video Games Harmful?
• Bicycles vs. Cars for City Travel
• School Start Times: Should They Be Later?
• Using Mobile Phones in Class
• Where Is It Better to Settle: A City or a Village?
• Should Homework Be Abolished?
• Does Money Bring Happiness?
• Recycling at Home: How Important Is It?
• Comparative Analysis of Whom I Would Rather Be Oldest or Youngest Sibling?
• Should Students Grade Their Teachers?
• Paper Books or E-Books: Which Is Better?
• Is Fast Food Really Bad for You?

Interesting Opinion Essay Topics

• Should Privacy or Security Take Precedence Online?
• Rising Popularity of Electric Vehicles
• Effects of Social Media on Personal Relationships
• Mandatory Community Service in High School
• Influence of Celebrity Culture on Young People
• Extraterrestrial Life: Probability and Possibilities
• Animal Testing: Necessary Evil or Avoidable Cruelty?
• Capital Punishment: Ethical Considerations
• Perceived Impact of Reality Television on Society
• Veganism: Lifestyle Choice or Necessary Shift?
• Artificial Intelligence: Boon or Bane?
• Online Class vs. Traditional One: Which is More Effective?
• Keeping Exotic Pets: A Question of Ethics
• Influence of Violent Video Games on Behavior
• Immigration Policies: A Global Perspective
• Climate Change: Is It Already Too Late?
• Space Travel: Should It Be Commercialized?
• Freedom of Speech vs. Hate Speech: Finding the Balance
• Parenting Styles: Do They Shape a Child’s Future?
• Physical Education in Schools: Luxury or Necessity?

Opinion Essay Topics for High School

• Virtual Learning: A Replacement for Traditional Schooling?
• Are Uniforms Beneficial in Schools?
• Influence of Pop Music on Teenagers
• Ban Junk Food in Schools
• Need for More Diversity in Literature Classes
• Inclusion of Financial Literacy in Curriculum
• Mandatory Participation in Sports: Pros and Cons
• Benefits of Studying a Foreign Language
• Value of Art Education in Schools
• Social Media: Boon or Bane for Teenagers?
• Cyberbullying: Measures for Prevention
• Importance of Volunteering and Community Service
• Online Privacy Concerns for Young People
• Homework: Necessary Practice or Outdated Method?
• Are Standardized Tests an Accurate Measure of Intelligence?
• Inclusion of Mental Health Education in Schools
• Increasing Popularity of eSports in Youth Culture
• Peer Pressure: Understanding Its Influence

Opinion Essay Topics for College Students

• Tuition Fees: An Unnecessary Burden or a Fair Payment for Education?
• Sex Education: A Necessity in College Curriculum
• Ethics of College Athletes’ Compensation
• Influence of Celebrity Culture on Body Image
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Studying Abroad
• Legal Drinking Age: Is Lowering a Good Idea?
• Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
• Benefits of Joining a College Fraternity or Sorority
• Sustainability Efforts on College Campuses
• Importance of Internships for College Students
• Rising Popularity of Online Education
• How Technology Affects Learning Efficiency
• Should Universities Be Free?
• Influence of Social Media on Personal Relationships
• Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Colleges
• LGBTQ+ Rights and College Policies
• Bystander Intervention in College Hazing
• Effectiveness of Gap Year Between High School and College
• Inclusion of Life Skills in College Curriculum
• Politics and Activism on College Campuses

Opinion Essay Topics on Environment

• Environmental Justice and Disadvantaged Communities
• Greenwashing: Deception or Effective Marketing?
• Climate Change Policy: A Global Perspective
• Debate on Genetically Modified Crops: A Solution to Food Scarcity?
• Economic Viability of Renewable Energy Sources
• Sustainability in Urban Planning: Myth or Reality?
• Environmental Ethics: Anthropocentrism vs. Biocentrism
• Fracking: Economic Boon or Environmental Disaster?
• Consumerism’s Influence on Waste Production
• Endangered Species Act: Effectiveness and Controversies
• Coral Reef Conservation: Importance and Challenges
• Pros and Cons of Carbon Tax Implementation
• Dilemmas in Forest Management: Logging vs. Conservation
• Global Water Crisis and Potential Solutions
• Nuclear Power: Environmental Savior or Potential Hazard?
• Ecological Footprint: Reflection of Individual Responsibility
• Population Control: Necessary Measure for Sustainability?
• Ocean Acidification and Marine Life
• Advocacy of Green Technology in Industries
• The Resurgence of Wildlife in Urban Areas

Psychology Opinion Essay Topics

• Psychoanalysis: An Outdated Method or Still Relevant?
• Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Depression Treatment
• Bilingualism’s Effect on Cognitive Development
• Violent Video Games and Adolescent Aggression: Is There a Link?
• Meditation as a Mental Health Tool: Hype or Reality?
• Interplay of Genetics and Environment in Personality Development
• Social Media Usage and Its Relation to Self-Esteem
• Psychological Impacts of Body Shaming in Society
• Significance of Emotional Intelligence in Career Success
• Animal-Assisted Therapy: Valid Treatment or Placebo Effect?
• Understanding the Psychological Effects of Poverty
• Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma on Adult Life
• Music Therapy’s Role in Mental Health Management
• Cultural Differences in Expressing and Perceiving Emotions
• Mindfulness Practice: A Cure or Overhyped Trend?
• The Dichotomy of Nature vs. Nurture in Shaping Individual Behavior
• Impacts of Sleep Deprivation on Cognitive Functions
• Is Hypnosis a Genuine Psychological Therapy or Merely Placebo?
• The Effect of Color Psychology on Human Mood and Behavior

Social Media Opinion Ideas

• Social Media as a Modern Public Sphere: Democratic Potential or Echo Chambers?
• Debating the Ethics of Data Privacy in Social Media Platforms
• Influence of Social Media on Political Campaigns and Election Outcomes
• Rethinking Social Media’s Contribution to Social Activism
• Can Social Media Addiction Be Classified as a Genuine Psychological Disorder?
• The Pervasiveness of Fake News in Social Media and Its Implications for Society
• Effectiveness of Social Media Marketing Strategies in Brand Building
• Cyberbullying: A Dark Side of Social Media Usage
• Mental Health Implications of Chronic Social Media Usage
• Social Media: The Link Between Body Image and Eating Disorders
• Social Media and the Evolution of Modern Communication Patterns
• Shift in Journalism: Social Media’s Role in News Dissemination
• The Culture of Influencers: Impact on Consumer Behavior
• Social Media in Education: An Effective Learning Tool or a Distraction?
• Examining the Power Dynamics in Social Media Censorship
• Online Persona: Real Identity vs. Social Media Identity
• Can Social Media Be a Credible Source of Information?
• Implications of Social Media Algorithms on User Behavior and Content
• Understanding the Phenomenon of Social Media FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
• Sustainable Business Models for Social Media Platforms

Opinion Essay Topics About Nursing

• Nursing and Patient Safety: Strategies to Improve Outcomes
• Is Full Autonomy Possible for Nurse Practitioners in Every State?
• The Influence of Nurses on Health Policy Development
• Balancing Emotional Labor and Compassionate Care in Nursing
• Burnout in Nursing: Investigating Causes and Solutions
• Pediatric Palliative Care: The Crucial Role of Nurses
• Cultural Competence in Nursing: How Vital Is It?
• Ethical Dilemmas Faced by Nurses: A Qualitative Study
• The Significance of Interprofessional Collaboration in Nursing
• Can Technology Be Effectively Integrated Into Nursing Education?
• Critical Thinking in Nursing: Its Importance and Ways to Enhance It
• Is there a Need to Revise Current Nurse Staffing Ratios?
• Nursing Leadership Styles: Impact on Patient Care and Satisfaction
• Health Literacy Promotion: An Unexplored Responsibility of Nurses?
• Home Care Nursing: Opportunities and Challenges
• The Future of Telehealth Nursing: Opportunities and Risks
• Nursing in Disaster Management: Understanding Its Importance
• Bridging the Gap: Nurse Scientists in Clinical Settings
• How Can Nurses Promote Mental Health Awareness and Education?

Opinion Ideas on Education

• Incorporating Critical Thinking Skills Into Curriculum: How Important Is It?
• The Effectiveness of Blended Learning Models in Higher Education
• Inclusive Education Policies: Analyzing Their Implementation and Effectiveness
• Examining the Ethical Implications of Standardized Testing
• Do Traditional Grading Systems Truly Reflect Student Learning?
• Transforming Classroom Environments With Educational Technology
• Bilingual Education: Unraveling Its Effects on Cognitive Development
• Personalized Learning: A Sustainable Solution or Just a Trend?
• The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Educational Leadership
• How Can Teachers Promote Mental Health Awareness in Schools?
• Educational Policy and Its Effect on Teacher Retention Rates
• Exploring the Benefits and Drawbacks of Online Learning
• Curriculum Design and Its Influence on Student Engagement
• Education for Sustainability: The Need for Integrating It in Schools
• Pedagogical Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education
• The Future of Artificial Intelligence in Education
• Digital Literacy in Education: An Unavoidable Necessity?
• Does the Current Education System Adequately Prepare Students for the Future Workforce?

Opinion Essay Topics for History Class

• Deciphering Ancient Egypt: Hieroglyphs and Their Cultural Significance
• Power Dynamics in the French Revolution
• World War II: Unseen Influences on Modern Political Landscapes
• Assessing the Mongol Empire’s Influence on Eurasian History
• Apartheid’s Legacy in Contemporary South African Society
• Did Roman Architecture Influence Modern City Planning?
• Slavery and the Shaping of American Political Institutions
• Renaissance Humanism: Its Influence on Modern Intellectual Thought
• Examination of Feminist Movements in the 20th Century
• Influence of the Industrial Revolution on Modern Economic Systems
• Soviet Union: Evaluating Its Influence on Space Exploration
• Medieval Guilds: Their Influence on Modern Trade Unions
• Cultural Exchange During the Silk Road Era
• Pax Britannica and Globalization: A Historical Perspective
• Debunking the Myth of the ‘Dark Ages’
• Are There Parallels Between the Fall of Rome and Today’s Societies?
• Cold War and Its Effect on International Relations
• Colonialism’s Residual Effects on Modern Developing Nations
• Impact of the Protestant Reformation on European Societies
• Greek Philosophy: Its Contribution to Modern Scientific Methodologies

Literature Opinion Topics

• Contemporary Interpretations of Classical Literature: Are They Necessary?
• Exploring the Influence of Postcolonial Literature on Cultural Identities
• How Does Gender Representation Affect the Reading Experience?
• Is There an Overemphasis on Western Canon in Literature Studies?
• Transformative Nature of Magical Realism in Latin American Literature
• Analyzing the Power Dynamics in Dystopian Literature
• Female Protagonists in Gothic Literature: An Examination of Characterization
• Dissecting the Notion of Heroism in Epic Poetry
• Eco-Criticism: A New Perspective to Interpret Nature in Literature
• How Has Digital Media Influenced Literary Consumption?
• Ethics of Storytelling: A Look at Narratives of Trauma in Contemporary Fiction
• Intersectionality in African American Literature: A Critical Analysis
• The Aesthetics of Food Description in Novels: An Overlooked Tool for Storytelling?
• Depiction of Mental Health in Young Adult Literature: Does It Raise Awareness or Perpetuate Stereotypes?
• Intertextuality in Modern Novels: An Analytical Study
• Shakespearean Tragedies: An Insight Into Human Nature or a Reflection of Elizabethan Society?
• Can Translation Maintain the Aesthetics and Cultural Nuances of a Literary Piece?
• Decoding Symbolism in Surrealist Literature
• Understanding the Politics of Gender and Sexuality in LGBTQ+ Literature

Opinion Essay Topics on Culture

• Decoding the Influence of Popular Culture on Youth Identities
• Rethinking Cultural Appropriation: When Does Appreciation Become Offensive?
• Cultural Globalization: A Threat or Opportunity for Indigenous Cultures?
• Comparative Analysis of Collectivist vs. Individualist Cultures
• How Is Gender Constructed Differently Across Cultures?
• Influence of Technological Advancements on Cultural Shifts
• Cultural Adaptations in Literature: Preserving or Distorting Cultural Heritage?
• Impact of Language Revitalization Movements on Indigenous Cultures
• Cultural Perspectives on Environmental Sustainability
• Exploring the Intersection of Culture and Religion: A Case Study Approach
• Feminism in Non-Western Cultures: How Is It Perceived?
• Cultural Diplomacy: Effective Tool for Conflict Resolution or Soft Power Strategy?
• Preservation of Cultural Heritage Sites: How Essential Is It for Cultural Identity?
• Assessing the Influence of Cultural Stereotypes on Inter-Cultural Communication
• Is the Concept of National Culture Becoming Obsolete in the Globalized World?
• Cultural Symbolism in Visual Art: A Thematic Analysis
• How Do Immigration and Acculturation Affect an Individual’s Cultural Identity?
• Assimilation vs. Multiculturalism: Which Promotes More Inclusive Societies?
• Food Culture: An Insight Into Historical and Socioeconomic Dynamics
• What Does the Rise of Internet Memes Signify for Modern Pop Culture?

Opinion Topics on Sports

• Analyzing the Effectiveness of Anti-Doping Policies in Professional Sports
• Gender Equality in Sports: How Far Have We Come?
• Pros and Cons of Commercialization of Sports
• Fair Play: Myth or Reality in Today’s Competitive Sports?
• How Essential Is Talent Scouting for the Growth of Underrepresented Sports?
• Controversies and Ethical Dilemmas Surrounding Sports Betting
• Performance Enhancing Drugs: Unfair Advantage or a Necessary Evil?
• Does Hosting Major Sports Events Provide Sustainable Economic Growth?
• Inclusion of eSports in Olympic Games: Futuristic Vision or a Mere Fantasy?
• Is There Overemphasis on Physical Conditioning in Youth Sports?
• How Do Sports Influence National Identity Construction?
• Exploitation in College Sports: A Look at NCAA Regulations
• The Rise of Women’s Football: A Shift in Sports Culture?
• Why Are Certain Sports More Popular in Certain Countries?
• Relevance of Traditional Sports in the 21st Century
• Varying Concepts of Sportsmanship Across Different Cultures
• Should Extreme Sports be Included in the Olympic Games?
• How Have Advances in Technology Affected the Authenticity of Sports?
• Analyzing the Representation of Disabled Athletes in Mainstream Sports Media

Economics & Finance Opinion Topics

• Deciphering the Crypto Economy: An Asset or a Liability?
• Does Universal Basic Income Provide an Economic Safety Net?
• Effectiveness of Monetary Policy in Regulating Inflation
• Are Financial Regulations a Hindrance to Economic Growth?
• Relevance of Keynesian Economics in Today’s Economic Structure
• Economic Consequences of Climate Change: What’s the Real Cost?
• Global Financial Inequality: Solutions for a Balanced World Economy
• Challenges in Implementing Green Finance Globally
• Examining the Relationship Between Economic Growth and Income Inequality
• Analyzing the Economic Implications of Brexit
• Can Economic Sanctions Be Justified as Foreign Policy Tools?
• Is the Gig Economy a Progressive Labor Market Change?
• Understanding the Effects of Automated Trading on Financial Markets
• Redefining Prosperity: Is GDP a Comprehensive Measure of Economic Success?
• Economic Impact of Immigration: A Boon or a Bane?
• Future of Cash: How Relevant Are Physical Currencies in the Digital Age?
• How Effective Is Quantitative Easing as an Economic Strategy?
• Ethics in Finance: A Necessity or a Luxury?
• Consequences of Wealth Tax on Economic Stability
• Is Financial Literacy the Key to Reducing Income Inequality?

Technology & Science Opinion Essay Topics

• Cybersecurity in Quantum Computing: Paradigms and Challenges
• Synthetic Biology: Harnessing Nature’s Code for Novel Solutions
• Climate Change Mitigation: Innovative Approaches Using Geoengineering
• Examining AI Bias: Socio-Ethical Implications for Machine Learning Algorithms
• Is Nanotechnology the Future of Medicine?
• Fostering Sustainable Innovation in Biotechnology
• Ethical Considerations of Genetic Engineering in Humans
• Brain-Computer Interfaces: Bridging Neural Pathways and Digital Worlds
• Disruptive Influence of Blockchain on Financial Markets
• Are We Prepared for Artificial General Intelligence?
• Augmented Reality in Education: Reinventing Learning Environments
• Virtual Reality Use in Mental Health Treatments
• Integrating Renewable Energy Sources: Challenges and Prospects
• Dark Matter and Energy: Unsolved Mysteries of the Universe
• Exoplanet Discovery and the Potential for Extraterrestrial Life
• Bioinformatics and Personalized Medicine: A New Frontier
• Can Deep Learning Models Outperform Humans in Creativity?
• Internet of Things (IoT) in Smart Cities: Privacy Concerns
• Advances in Autonomous Vehicle Technology: Safety and Regulation Issues

Opinion Essay Topics on Sustainable Development

• Sustainable Cities: Architectural Innovations and Urban Planning
• Innovative Approaches to Water Management in Agriculture
• Transitional Challenges in Adapting to Circular Economy Models
• Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability: More Than Just Greenwashing?
• Eco-Tourism and Local Economies: Symbiosis or Exploitation?
• Does Organic Farming Offer a Sustainable Solution for Global Food Security?
• Carbon Neutral Technologies: Pathways to a Greener Future
• Green Investment and Sustainable Economic Growth
• Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture: Strategies for the 21st Century
• Is Zero Waste an Achievable or Utopian Goal?
• Rethinking Energy Consumption: Electrification and Decarbonization
• Sustainable Manufacturing Practices: A Comparative Analysis
• Biodiversity Conservation and Its Interplay With Local Communities
• Social Sustainability: Addressing Inequalities in the Global South
• Beyond Recycling: Waste-to-Energy Solutions for the Circular Economy
• Inclusive Growth: Intersection of Sustainability and Social Equity
• Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Challenges and Strategies
• Can Regenerative Agriculture Counteract Climate Change?
• Smart Grids and Renewable Energy Integration: An Exploration
• Green Building Design: Innovative Approaches for Energy Efficiency

To Learn More, Read Relevant Articles

469 classification essay topics & good ideas, 443 business essay topics & best ideas.

Our Trump reporting upsets some readers, but there aren’t two sides to facts: Letter from the Editor

• Updated: Apr. 06, 2024, 10:27 a.m. |
• Published: Mar. 30, 2024, 8:16 a.m.

Some readers complain that we have different standards involving Donald Trump and Joe Biden. (AP Photo, File) AP

• Chris Quinn, Editor, cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer

A more-than-occasional arrival in the email these days is a question expressed two ways, one with dripping condescension and the other with courtesy:

Why don’t our opinion platforms treat Donald Trump and other politicians exactly the same way. Some phrase it differently, asking why we demean the former president’s supporters in describing his behavior as monstrous, insurrectionist and authoritarian.

I feel for those who write. They believe in Trump and want their local news source to recognize what they see in him.

The angry writers denounce me for ignoring what they call the Biden family crime syndicate and criminality far beyond that of Trump. They quote news sources of no credibility as proof the mainstream media ignores evidence that Biden, not Trump, is the criminal dictator.

The courteous writers don’t go down that road. They politely ask how we can discount the passions and beliefs of the many people who believe in Trump.

Chris Quinn's recent Letters from the Editor

• Around the globe and the nation, thousands thank us for telling the truth about Trump: Letter from the Editor
• Voices of hope. Voices of anxiety. Tears of gratitude. A global response to how we tell the truth about Donald Trump
• Let’s hang it up on polling. In election after election, they get it wrong: Letter from the Editor

This is a tough column to write, because I don’t want to demean or insult those who write me in good faith. I’ve started it a half dozen times since November but turned to other topics each time because this needle is hard to thread. No matter how I present it, I’ll offend some thoughtful, decent people.

The north star here is truth. We tell the truth, even when it offends some of the people who pay us for information.

The truth is that Donald Trump undermined faith in our elections in his false bid to retain the presidency. He sparked an insurrection intended to overthrow our government and keep himself in power. No president in our history has done worse.

This is not subjective. We all saw it. Plenty of leaders today try to convince the masses we did not see what we saw, but our eyes don’t deceive. (If leaders began a yearslong campaign today to convince us that the Baltimore bridge did not collapse Tuesday morning, would you ever believe them?) Trust your eyes. Trump on Jan. 6 launched the most serious threat to our system of government since the Civil War. You know that. You saw it.

The facts involving Trump are crystal clear, and as news people, we cannot pretend otherwise, as unpopular as that might be with a segment of our readers. There aren’t two sides to facts. People who say the earth is flat don’t get space on our platforms. If that offends them, so be it.

As for those who equate Trump and Joe Biden, that’s false equivalency. Biden has done nothing remotely close to the egregious, anti-American acts of Trump. We can debate the success and mindset of our current president, as we have about most presidents in our lifetimes, but Biden was never a threat to our democracy. Trump is. He is unique among all American presidents for his efforts to keep power at any cost.

Personally, I find it hard to understand how Americans who take pride in our system of government support Trump. All those soldiers who died in World War II were fighting against the kind of regime Trump wants to create on our soil. How do they not see it?

The March 25 edition of the New Yorker magazine offers some insight. It includes a detailed review of a new book about Adolf Hitler, focused on the year 1932. It’s called “Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power” and is by historian Timothy W. Ryback. It explains how German leaders – including some in the media -- thought they could use Hitler as a means to get power for themselves and were willing to look past his obvious deficiencies to get where they wanted. In tolerating and using Hitler as a means to an end, they helped create the monstrous dictator responsible for millions of deaths.

How are those German leaders different from people in Congress saying the election was stolen or that Jan. 6 was not an insurrection aimed at destroying our government? They know the truth, but they deny it. They see Trump as a means to an end – power for themselves and their “team” – even if it means repeatedly telling lies.

Sadly, many believe the lies. They trust people in authority, without questioning the obvious discrepancies or relying on their own eyes. These are the people who take offense to the truths we tell about Trump. No one in our newsroom gets up in the morning wanting to make a segment of readers feel bad. No one seeks to demean anyone. We understand what a privilege it is to be welcomed into the lives of the millions of people who visit our platforms each month for news, sports and entertainment. But our duty is to the truth.

Our nation does seem to be slipping down the same slide that Germany did in the 1930s. Maybe the collapse of government in the hands of a madman is inevitable, given how the media landscape has been corrupted by partisans, as it was in 1930s Germany.

I hope not.

In our newsroom, we’ll do our part. Much as it offends some who read us, we will continue to tell the truth about Trump.

I’m at mailto:[email protected]

Thanks for reading.

( Note: A follow-up column about the overwhelming international response to this piece can be found here , and a sampling of the responses can be found here .)

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