editorial

(ĕd'ĭ-tôr'ē-əl, -tōr'-)
n.

1. An article in a publication expressing the opinion of its editors or publishers.
2. A commentary on television or radio expressing the opinion of the station or network.

adj.

1. Of or relating to an editor or editing: an editorial position with a publishing company; an editorial policy prohibiting the use of unnamed sources.
2. Of or resembling an editorial, especially in expressing an opinion: an editorial comment.

editorially ed'i·to'ri·al·ly adv.

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Published or broadcast expression of opinion presented by the editor, publisher, manager, or owner of any medium.

Origin: 1830

The newspaper is not an American invention, nor is the magazine, but we can claim credit for an important step in the development of both: the editorial. This is not to say that Americans were the first to think of letting the editor's opinion appear in print. Quite the opposite: until the advent of the editorial, the editor's opinion permeated the publication, mixing inextricably with the news. Journals of the day did indeed report news, but they did so in the service of propaganda for a particular party or policy. In that way they were like most present-day newsletters.

Early in the nineteenth century, however, Americans began to develop the notion of journalistic objectivity. It was not only possible, but perhaps advantageous, to separate the news from the editor's opinion. There were idealistic reasons for this: the reader would get the news without fear or favor, and opinion would be labeled as such. But there were also practical reasons, without which the idealistic could not have prevailed. To present the news as plain fact makes it of interest even to those who do not share the editor's opinion. And, as we in the "information age" know well, it is information that people will pay for, not opinion. The labeling of opinion to separate it from news is now so ingrained in American Media (1921) that lapses are targets for criticism.

Editorial was the label we used as long ago as 1830 to designate a statement of the editor's opinion. "The great green table in the centre groaning under the weight of editorials, and friendly correspondence," was mentioned in the Collegian of Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1830. Even earlier, in 1802, we find reference to "the editorial part of the paper."

By the turn of the twentieth century, newspapers had designated a separate editorial page for editorials and letters to the editor. Even the location of the editorial page is distinctive: it is always a left-hand page, usually in the front section. Modern newspapers have expanded this space by using the facing page for lengthier opinions by columnists and guest writers. They call this op-ed, that is, opposite the editorial page, a feature introduced by Herbert Bayard Swope in the New York World of the 1920s.

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An article in a newspaper or magazine expressing the opinion of the editor or publisher.

IN BRIEF: An article in a periodical written by a certain person and published as an official argument.

Our local newspaper's editorial section featured dozens of letters reflecting opposing views of this year's presidential election.

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For a list of words related to editorial, see:

• Journalism - editorial: column by editor expressing newspaper policy or view on current issue
• Judgments and Critiques - editorial: expression of opinion on some subject, esp. in newspaper

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See words rhyming with "editorial."

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - redaktionel, redaktions-, leder-
n. - leder, ledende artikel

Nederlands (Dutch)
redactioneel artikel, hoofdartikel, redactioneel

Français (French)
adj. - de la rédaction, du rédacteur
n. - éditorial, article de tête

Deutsch (German)
n. - Leitartikel
adj. - Redaktions-

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - κύριο άρθρο
adj. - εκδοτικός, συντακτικός

Italiano (Italian)
editoriale, redazionale

Português (Portuguese)
n., -
adj. - editorial (m)

Русский (Russian)
передовица, редакторский

Español (Spanish)
adj. - editorial, de la dirección o redacción (de un periódico)
n. - editorial, artículo de fondo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - (tidnings)ledare, redaktionell artikel
adj. - redaktörs-, utgivar-

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
编辑的, 社论的, 主笔的, 社论, 评论

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 編輯的, 社論的, 主筆的
n. - 社論, 評論

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 편집자의, 편집의, 사설의
n. - 사설, 논설

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 社説, 論説
adj. - 編集者の, 編集の, 社説としての, 内容の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) افتتاحيه الصحيفه (صفه) خاص برئيس التحرير‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮של עורך, של עריכה‬
n. - ‮מאמר המערכת‬

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