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Persuasive Editorial

Introduction
In a persuasive editorial, you express an opinion about an issue of For a review of the steps in
public interest. You support that opinion with facts, reasons, and the writing process, see the
Historian’s Toolkit, Write Like
examples, and communicate your viewpoint to a particular a Historian.
audience. A persuasive editorial should have the following
characteristics:
• a topic that involves a matter of opinion
• an issue of public (rather than personal) interest
• a thesis statement that clearly expresses an opinion about
that issue
• specific facts, details, examples, and reasons that support the
opinion
• reasonable tone and persuasive language
Assignment On the following pages, you will learn how to write
a persuasive editorial. You will get step-by-step instructions. Each
step will include an example from a sample editorial expressing
an opinion about suffrage for women. Sample thesis statement:
A constitutional amendment giving
Read the instructions and the examples. Then, follow each step women the right to vote should be
to plan and write a 500–700 word persuasive editorial. passed.
Write about the settlement of the West and the
disappearance of the frontier.

Prewriting
Find a persuasive topic. A persuasive editorial presents an
opinion about an issue of public interest. Opinions deal with matters
of interpretation—with questions that can be viewed in more than
one way.

Define your audience. When you plan to write a

persuasive editorial, you need to know your audience. Ask the Sample supporting fact:
More than 5 million women are in
following questions to create an audience profile:
the workforce.
• What issues is my audience most concerned about? Sample supporting reason:
• Where do they live? It is only fair that women in the
• How much do they know about this issue? How are they workforce, as well as homemakers,
have a say in the laws that govern
likely to feel about it? them.

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Create a working thesis. Your thesis should express an

informed opinion based on a knowledge of the facts and reflect
logical thinking.

Brainstorm for supporting information. You need to find

facts, details, examples, and reasons that support your opinion.

Think about opposing arguments. Your editorial will be

especially persuasive if you pay attention to opposing arguments—
opinions that are different from the one you are expressing. It is a
good idea to mention such arguments and then answer them in
support of your own opinion.

Drafting
Decide how to organize your writing. Persuasive
editorials may be organized in a number of different ways. Three
effective methods of organization are order of importance, process of
elimination, and contrast.

• Order of importance List three or four major reasons for

supporting your opinion, and then support and develop each of
these reasons, going from the least significant reason to the most
important one.
• Process of elimination Lead the reader step by step through
several possible interpretations. Show why each interpretation is
not valid or does not fit the facts as well as your approach does.
• Contrast If you are focusing on just two alternative viewpoints,
you could contrast them, hoping to persuade your audience that
one is more valid than the other.
Introduce your thesis. Draft an introductory paragraph that
sets up the issue you will be writing about. State your opinion on the
matter and the main reasons that support your opinion.

Support your thesis with examples and details. Use

your notes to write paragraphs supporting your opinion with facts
and reasons. The more specific and concrete your supporting details
are, the more convincing your essay will be.

Use a persuasive tone. As you write your draft, keep in mind

that you are addressing an audience that does not necessarily agree
with you. Present your ideas tactfully. Acknowledge but do not
insult opposing opinions.

Write a strong conclusion. In your final paragraph, restate

your opinion as forcefully as you can.

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Model Essay
Read the following model of a persuasive essay.
Notice how it includes the characteristics you have
learned about.

Women Should Have the Vote

More than 65 years ago, at the Seneca Falls
Convention, delegates declared that American women
The opening
paragraph introduces should have the right to vote. Today, in 1917, they still do
the issue that is the not have this basic freedom. This newspaper believes this
subject of the The thesis statement
editorial. is an injustice that must be corrected. A constitutional states the opinion of
amendment giving women the right to vote should be the editorial.
passed.
Since our nation was founded, women have worked to
help support their families. Pioneer women built farms and
towns throughout the West. To recognize their efforts,
four western states, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho,
gave women the right to vote in the late 1800s. Now it is
time for the rest of the country to follow their lead.
Is this editorial Today, more than five million American women are
organized according ImageTheir
working outside their homes. – TK wages are lower than This paragraph
to order of
those of men. However, their pride in what they do is not. includes facts and
importance, process
reasons to support
of elimination, or They are contributing to their households and to their the opinion of
contrast?
country. They want to have some say in making the laws the editorial.

they must live by. We believe that is only fair.

Our country is a democracy. This form of
government is based on respect for the rights of all A persuasive tone
presents opinions in
people. Half the population of the United States are a serious, reasonable
women. As a democracy, we owe women the right to take way.
part in our electoral system.

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Revising
After completing your draft, read it again carefully to find ways to
make your writing better. Here are some questions to ask yourself.
Revise to strengthen your thesis and support
• Does the thesis state your opinion clearly and strongly?
• Does each paragraph offer valid reasons and solid facts that
support that opinion?
Revise to be more convincing
• Is the tone of the editorial reasonable but persuasive?
• Are the opposing arguments dealt with effectively and
respectfully?
• Does the editorial make the reader feel that the issue is
important?
Revise to meet written English-language
conventions
• Are all sentences complete, with a subject and a verb?
• Are all the words spelled correctly?
• Are all proper nouns capitalized, including names of people
and places?
• Did you use proper punctuation?

Rubric for Self-Assessment

Evaluate your persuasive editorial using the following rating scale:
Score 4 Score 3 Score 2 Score 1
Organization Supports the thesis Uses order of impor- Chooses an organi- Shows lack of organi-
with a series of para- tance or some other zation not suited to zational strategy
graphs guided by a effective way of organ- the topic
reason stated in a izing the composition;
topic sentence uses a reasonably clear
organization to present
the supporting infor-
mation

Presentation Supports the opinion Supports the opinion Does not support the Does not provide
effectively with rele- adequately with opinion adequately; facts, details, or
vant facts, details, or several facts, details, does not link support- examples to support
examples; links all or examples; links ing information to the the opinion
information to the most information to opinion
opinion being the opinion being
supported supported

Use of Language Uses persuasive lan- Is often persuasive Is not respectful of Does not have a per-
guage and reasonable and usually reason- opposing views; suasive tone; is not
tone; varies sentence able; uses some repeats sentence respectful of opposing
structure and vocab- variety in sentence style; does not views; includes incom-
ulary successfully; structure and vocab- vary vocabulary; plete sentences; uses
includes no or very ulary; includes few includes many language poorly;
few mechanical errors mechanical errors mechanical errors includes many
mechanical errors

Writing Workshop 673