editorial
ed-ih-TOR-ee-ul
/ˌed.ɪˈtɔː.ri.əl/
An article expressing the opinion of the editor, publishers, or publication owners, or relating to the editing process.
As a noun, it represents the official stance of a news organization rather than objective news reporting.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'edere', meaning 'to give out' or 'put forth'. An 'editor' was originally someone who brought forth a book to the public. By the 19th century, newspaper editors established designated pages to air the publication's official commentary, giving birth to the noun 'editorial' as an expression of the paper's institutional voice.
Word relationships
- leader: Leader (or leading article) is British terminology for a main opinion piece written by the editorial staff.
- news report: A news report is supposed to present neutral, factual information without personal or institutional opinion.
Commonly confused with
- op-ed: An editorial reflects the opinion of the newspaper's board, whereas an op-ed is written by an outside guest contributor.
Word family
- editor (noun): a person who edits or directs a publication
- editorially (adverb): from an editorial standpoint
Collocations
- editorial board
- editorial page
- editorial stance
- unsigned editorial
Example sentences
- "The newspaper published a scathing editorial criticizing the town council's decision to cut public library funding." Journalism opinion
- "She was appointed head of the editorial department, overseeing all non-fiction acquisitions." Publishing process
Memory hook
EDITOR's opinion = EDITORIAL. Paper's official opinion piece.
When not to use
Do not confuse an editorial with an op-ed or a standard news article that presents objective facts without institutional bias.
Fun facts
- Traditionally, newspaper editorials were published without an author's byline to signify that the piece represented the entire organization's opinion.
Related words
Explore more words
editorialize, op-ed, edit, journalism, columnist, commentary
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