COLUMN

WRITING
mark lowen m. aguilar
Mximo Villaflor Soliven was a prominent
Filipino journalist and newspaper
publisher. He co-founded Philippine Star
in 1986, where he served as publisher until
his death. His daily column published in
the Star, titled "By The Way", was one of
the most widely read newspaper columns
in the Philippines.
Point of Order, daily column at the Manila Bulletin
Jose L. Guevaras in, had become a Philippine
institution, not only for the truth it bears but for the
incisiveness of its wit.

It was a remarkable feat for any journalist to poke
fun at foibles that abound though often not easily
perceived in society, especially in government
circlesand unobtrusively moralize without being
offensive.
WHAT IS A COLUMN
The column is a feature that appears
each issue under the same head,
usually in the same place, and is
written by the same person or persons
on some timely subject.
Like other features, its treatment
may range from light to serious; its
topics, from the trivial to the
highly significant.
It may be editorial treatment of
news, satire, personal bits,
pathetic or amusing incidents,
pithy statements, witticisms.
It may take on the functions of the
news story, the editorial, or the
feature. The feature treatment is
the most common type.
Columns are placed on the section to
which they are related. Thus the
philosophical informative column is on the
editorial page; the column of comments
and inside information on sports is found
on the sports page; a news-group column,
on the inside news page.
Columns are typeset to blend with
their respective pages; the
editorial and sports columns are
usually set one-and-a-half to two
columns wide.
PURPOSE OF THE COLUMN
The columnist informs the reader of what he/she
may not know in the case of the dopester or the
inside-story columnist he discloses what happened
behind the closed doors of that secret party caucus,
the motivation behind the political moves now in
the headlines, the undercover events which led to
that momentous foreign policy decision, the
existence of a scandal or a racket, the commission
of a wrong that might set right.
The columnist forms or helps to form
public opinion when he/she comments
with logic, humor or emotion on an
issue of the day.
The main purpose of the column is
to inform, to interpret and to a
large degree, to fiscalize.
As an INTERPRETER, the columnist
condenses the main news into clear,
logical, effective sentences or
paragraphs to emphasize the meat of
the story so as to form opinion.
As a FISCALIZER, the columnist
acts as an arbiter. In the political
arena, he/she fiscalizes not only
the government and the ruling
party but also the minority party.
In the campus paper, a columnist
fiscalizes not only the administration
but also the faculty and studentry.
He/she analyzes facts, interprets them
and forms logical and informed public
opinion.
OTHER PURPOSES
1)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 consequence by:

a.Giving the background of an event
b.Determining whether a certain event is an
isolated case or part of the patters
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
2) To entertain the readers. This purpose
of the column enhances readers interest in
the paper. When a reader picks up a
newspaper, he does not only want to be
informed but also to be entertained. Some
columns fulfill this desire of the reader.

QUALITIES OF A COLUMNIST
Because of the possible influence of his
column for good or ill, the columnist
should be a highly responsible
individual. Among the qualities
expected of him/her are:


Keen observation
Good judgment
Sound reasoning
A knowledge of human nature and wide
acquaintanceship
An original style
Tact
A wholesome sense of humor
A spirit of restraint
A high respect for the school
Freedom from petty prejudices
COLUMN WRITING IN THE
CAMPUS PAPER
Some activities in high school are more or
less continuous and of general interest.
News items about such general activities
may be written by a regular reporter and
published as a column under a standing
head.
Among this type of columns
are the sections on the
activities of the student
government, the ROTC, alumni
news, news from other
schools.
FORMS OF WRITING USED IN
COLUMNS
The columnist, compared to a news writer,
is free to use any form of writing. He may
use the essay or the story form; on
occasions, he may even use verse.
KINDS AND TYPES OF COLUMNS
ACCORDING TO PURPOSE
Editorial Column- an editorial column is any
personal column found on the editorial page.
This kind of column usually use humor as a
vehicle in driving the columnists message. But
at the bottom of this apparently humorous
column is invariably a serious matter to which
the columnist wants to call attention.
Editorial column writing in the Philippines
is considered to be the highest expression
of press freedom.

The newspaper column started during the
propaganda movement of the
revolutionary period. The journalists wrote
hard-hitting columns against the colonial
masters.
Readers Column- it is the column in which
comments sent in by the readers are placed.
These comments may refer to any item
previously carried by the paper, or the topics
that have not appeared on the paper but
which the reader would want to bring to the
attention of the editor or to the papers
readers. Some newspapers call it Letters to
the Editor; others, Dear Sir
Business Column- it contains materials
about economy, trade, commerce and
industry. It is found in the business
section of the paper.

Sports Column- this column deals
exclusively about sport. It is found on the
sports page.

Womens Column- this column concerns itself
about the latest fashion, beauty tips and
anything about homemaking.

Entertainment Column- this is all abut music,
theater, cinema and the people involved in
them.
New Products and Inventions- a science
paper usually has a column about the latest
products and inventions, and the researches
being conducted by some prominent
scientists.

Personality- this may play up a famous person,
his significant achievement, his activities,
dreams, ambitions.
Reviews- review of an article, a book, a
movie, a drama, a painting.
ACCORDING TO CONTENTS
Opinion Column- it resembles an editorial in
form but, in contrast with the editorials
impersonal and anonymous approach, carries
the personal, in particular, stamp of the
writers own ideas.
- also called the signed editorial
column
Hodge-Podge Column- it is where the author
lumps together odds and ends of information,
a poem here, an announcement there, a
pointed paragraph or a modernized proverb, a
joke or an interesting quotation.
Essay Column- is a legacy from a more
leisurely age when writers could sit and
scribble and muse down in light or purple
prose.
- this is increasingly rare
Gossip Column- caters to the inherent interest
of human beings. Unfortunately, the readers
eyes light up more frequently when they spy
vices rather than the virtues of others.

The society columnists here chronicle the
facts, the social climbers, and celebrities.
Dopesters Column- is written by the columnist who also
has his/her eye to the keyhole but with more serious
purpose.

The columnist uses much the same technique as the gossip
columnist but rises above the chatterbox variety of news
to poke into the activities of the men who make decision.

The victims are usually governments leader-politicians,
congressmen, senators, cabinet officials, titans of industry
and commerce, institutions which have to do with nation
and international affairs.
The columnists pipelines to sources of
information often give him the ability to
forecast news before it happens, bare
still unannounced plans and
appointments, reveal secret pacts, lay
the secrets of government and finance
open to public security.
GUIDELINES IN WRITING
COLUMN
Get a clever name for the column. The column
heading may be set in distinctive type and may use
a design or a cut-out photo of the columnist.
If the column is meant to entertain, be sure that it
does entertain the papers typical readers.
Stay within the subject range of the column.
Unless it is against the format of the column,
make most item short, separated by
typographical devices like long dashes (----),
asterisks (***), moustache (---0---)
If the column gives serious suggestions, be
sure it is reliable.
For variety, deal with different aspects of the
main topic.
Have items set in various typographical
styles, such as italics, boldtype, different
points, caps, short clever heads.
Avoid unkind references to people.
Write in good taste
Deal only with timely material pertaining
to high school (campus paper).
TIPS IN WRITING COLUMN
1. Write with conviction: Put forward your
opinion as something you truly believe in.
Argue your case with conviction. Come
down hard on one side of an issue. Be
unequivocal. Never ever sit on the fence.
2. Maintain your focus: Make your
column about one thing and one thing
alone. Dont muddle the message.
Maintain your focus. Thats the only way to
make a strong impression on your readers
and to convince them that your point of
view is correct.
3. Understand opposing viewpoints: Be
mindful of the opposing argument. Anticipate
objections to your point of view and deal with
them convincingly with sound reasoning. If
youre not familiar with the opposing view, you
will not be able to argue your points well.
4. Refer to facts: Your arguments,
however logical, will not carry much
weight unless they are accompanied by
facts that support your position. Dont
overdo this and inundate your readers
with statistics and figures. But do make
use of facts from reputable sources.
5. Use analogies: Analogies are useful for
illustrating a point, especially when the
topic you are writing about is somewhat
complicated or technical. Using a simple
analogy from everyday life makes the
issue more understandable and relevant to
the reader.
6. Be critical: People like reading columnists
who dare to criticize real life people not just
nameless concepts and policies. Naming
names might create a bit of controversy but as
long as you do not libel anyone and dont go
overboard in your criticism, it works well to
make your column an interesting and exciting
read.
7. Do reporting. Its possible to write columns
without doing any reporting but the best
columns typically involve some form of
reporting. When you report, you get on the
ground and you gain a better sense of whats
really happening. When you write from an
ivory tower, it shows.
8. Localize and personalize: Localize your
story whenever possible. Also tie it to
some personal experience yours or that
of someone you know. This makes an
otherwise esoteric and distant topic more
real, relevant and memorable to the
reader.
9. Be passionate: Generally, people dont like
to hear a soft or passive voice when they read a
column. So be aggressive even arrogant, to
an extent. People want to see passion. They
want to feel energized. If the issue doesnt
seem to excite you, the writer, its certainly not
going to excite the reader.
10. Provide a solution: Last but not least,
dont just raise an issue. Have the
conviction to suggest a solution. Columns
that criticize certain policies but offer no
solutions are useless. People read columns
because they want to gain insight and
answers. If you dont provide those, youve
failed as a columnist.
THANK YOU!
Sources:
Campus Journalism by Jose Cruz Ceciliano
Journalism Handbook by Estelita C.
Pangilinan
http://oonyeoh.squarespace.com/column-
writing-tips/