Title: OPINION TEXTS Part 1: Op-eds, letters to the editor and similar texts
Course: YTO englanti 3 osp, valinnainen 2019-2020 > Section: Part 2 Being an active citizen in foreign language situations / Aktiivisena kansalaisena toimiminen vieraskielisissä yhteyksissä

Most of us are not politicians or other greatly influential people. Yet, to quote the Dalai Lama, "If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito."

In today's world, it is easier than ever to make your views known to the world: Just look at all the posts on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, podcasts, not to mention newspapers and magazines! But how do you create an opinion piece that has an impact? What makes a good opinion piece?

The most typical opinion texts published in newpapers and magazines are op-eds and letters to the editor. Op-eds (mielipide) are longer texts, e.g. 400-750 words, that express a personal opinion and are usually printed on the page opposite to the editorial(pääkirjoitus) in a newspaper or magazine. Letters to the editor are shorter published letters written to a newspaper, magazine or other periodical about issues that concern readers. Many of the best blog posts and other influential opinion texts online are comparable to letters to the editor or op-eds, and anyone can benefit from practicing how to write opinion texts.

You can see some instructions for writing such texts in the links below:

https://ocdp.org/contact/lte

https://www.ereleases.com/pr-fuel/7-tips-for-writing-a-great-op-ed/

Read an opinion text and answer the questions below. You can either choose one of the links given or find another opinion text in an online newspaper or magazine (eg. The Guardian, New York Times, Daily Mirror, LA Times, the Australian, etc.). It can be either an op-ed or a letter to the editor. The text must be in English. Don't forget to name the text you read! If you chose another text, provide a link to it.

https://www.wired.com/story/why-men-dont-believe-the-data-on-gender-bias-in-science/ ​

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/27/opinion/letters/amazon-facial-recognition.html ​

- What is the heading(otsikko)?
- What is the topic of the text?
- Is the writer for or against the matter?
- What kind of phrases does the writer use in expressing their opinion?
- Does the writer come to a conclusion?
- Is it a good opinion text?
- What is your opinion about the matter?