Column Power Pt.

COLUMN
WRITING
Rhee Fer Hortaleza

Pangasinense
Journalist
Columnists
 might be categorized as news
commentators, sports writers,
 society columnists, gossip writers,
 political analysts or humor writers
 who write items just to satisfy
 the pent-up desires of the
 newspaper readers.
COLUMNS
These are PERSONAL
and BIASED
Columnists are usually
veteran newsmen
who have ‘graduated’
from beat reporting
Most columnists practice
adversarial journalism
with the government
and government
officials as their
favorite targets.
Nevertheless, it should be
pointed out that
not everyone
who has mastered
news gathering
and news writing
can become a columnist.
1. Ability to write good English or
Pilipino, whichever is his/her
medium.
2. Ability to observe keenly as many
things around him are worth
writing but lie hidden if he/she is
not observant.
•3. Clear, logical thinking as one of the
`most important purposes of a
column is to interpret the news;
so one who cannot think clearly
or logically has no business
writing a column.
•4. Wide background, meaning he/she
must have a knowledge of
literature, history, the arts,
human nature and others.
5. Resourcefulness … because columns
are based on facts and most of
the facts are hard to get.
6. A sense of fairness … because a

bigoted, prejudiced writer has
no right to fill the seat of a
true columnist.
As an INTERPRETER,
the columnist condenses
the main news into clear,
logical and effective sentences
or paragraphs to emphasize
the meat of the story
so as to form opinion,
to expose fraud, to teach, to praise,
to attack, to appeal and to entertain.
As a FISCALIZER,
the columnist acts
as an arbiter.
In the political arena,
he fiscalizes not only
the government
and the ruling party
but also
the minority party.
OPINION ITEMS IN JOURNALISM
Editorials
Editorial cartoons
Letters to the Editor
Columns
RHEE-minder:
• Unlike editorial writers, column writers
have the freedom to use singular
pronouns like
▫I
▫ME
▫MY
▫MYSELF
in writing their opinion columns.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
• Ambeth R. Ocampo
• Rina Jimenez David
• Michael L. Tan
• Manuel L. Quezon III
• Cielito F. Habito
• Hyacinth Tagupa
• Ma. Ceres P. Doyo
• Gideon Lasco
• Peter Wallace
• Recah Trinidad
The Philippine STAR
• Ana Marie Pamintuan
• Jarius Bondoc
• Cito Beltran
• Alex Magno
• Federico D. Pascual Jr.
• Domini M. Torrevillas
• Jose C. Sison
• Marichu A. Villanueva
• Bobit S. Avila
The Manila Times
• Rigoberto Tiglao
• Francisco ‘Kit’ Tatad
• Rene Saguisag
• Marlen V. Ronquillo
• Ma. Isabel Ongpin
• Gus Lagman
• Jojo Robles
• Charmaine Cruz (Sports)
Manila BULLETIN
• Jesus P. Estanislao
• Gemma Cruz Araneta
• Floro L. Mercene
• Erik Espina
• Fred M. Lobo
• Eddie Ilarde
• Elinando B. Cinco
• Manny Villar
• Fidel V. Ramos
• Jose C. de Venecia Jr.
Types of COLUMNS
according to purpose
1. Editorial column
2. Readers’ column
3. Business column
4. Sports column
5. Art column
Types of COLUMNS
according to purpose
6. Women’s column
7. Entertainment column
8. New products and
inventions
9. Personality column
10. Reviews
Types of COLUMNS
according to contents
The OPINION column

The HODGE-PODGE column
The ESSAY column
The GOSSIP column
The DOPESTER’s column
ANYBODY CAN
WRITE A COLUMN
AND THE TROUBLE IS THAT …
MANY DO!
 It is the easiest thing to write and the
easiest way of showing up a fool.
 One can get by as a third-rate reporter
without even being found out in 20
years; but in one week of daily
column writing, the danger of
exposing one’s true self exists, indeed!
PURPOSE OF THE COLUMN
 The columnist informs the reader of
what he may not know – as in what
happened behind closed doors of secret
caucuses, motivations, the existence of
a scandal or racket, facts and anecdotes
– which may add up to what may be
termed as ‘human interest’.
 The columnist ‘forms’ or helps to form
public opinion when he comments with
logic, humor or emotion on an issue.
 To explain the news.
Ordinary news stories usually give only

the superficial information
regarding an event, only the
immediate circumstances
surrounding it.
THE COLUMNIST HAS TO EXPLAIN THEIR
SIGNIFICANCE AND CONSEQUENCES BY:
A. GIVING THE BACKGROUND OF AN EVENT.

B. DETERMINING WHETHER A CERTAIN EVENT IS
AN ISOLATED CASE OR PART OF THE
PATTERN.
C. POINTING OUT HOW AN EVENT WILL AFFECT
(OR NOT AFFECT) HIS READERS.
D. POOLING TOGETHER AND ASSESSING
COMMENTS OF READERS FROM THE
DIFFERENT SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY.
E. PRESENTING FAIRLY THE SIDES IN A
CONTROVERSY.
 The question now is …
Do you want
to be a
columnist?

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COLUMN

Rhee Fer Hortaleza

6. A sense of fairness … because a

The OPINION column

Ordinary news stories usually give only

A. GIVING THE BACKGROUND OF AN EVENT.

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