Op-Ed Page

In contrast to newspapers in other countries where opinions are expressed throughout the paper, in the United States, opinion is relegated to the editorial or “op-ed” section of the newspaper. “op-ed” is abbreviated from opposite editorial due to the tradition of newspapers placing opinion material on the page opposite the editorial page.

The editorial section is the page or two pages of the first news section of the newspaper where the masthead and staff listing of the newspaper can be found, including the owner's name, one to four editorials, syndicated and local guest writers, political cartoons, and letters to the editor. It is only here that openly acknowledged opinion (as opposed to traditional “neutral” reporting) is supposedly published. While the editorial page usually contains the opinions of the publisher, the op-ed page is reserved for articles by other writers who are often not affiliated with the paper. Articles may come from freelance writers, advocacy and industry groups, public relations agencies, and others. Some of the most prominent op-ed pages are those of The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal.