Editorial

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title: "Editorial" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["newspaper-content", "opinion-journalism", "periodical-articles"] description: "Journalism genre" topic_path: "general/newspaper-content" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editorial" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Journalism genre ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Heedless_Moths_(1921)_-_Photoplay_Editorial.jpg" caption="Editorial from a 1921 issue of ''[[Photoplay]]'' recommending that readers not watch a film, ''[[Heedless Moths]],'' which featured nude scenes"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/FrancisPharcellusChurch.jpg" caption="The Sun]]'' editorial which contains the line "[[Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus]]""] ::

An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK), is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about a particular topic or issue. Australian and major United States newspapers, such as The New York Times and The Boston Globe, often classify editorials under the heading "opinion".

Examples

Illustrated editorials may appear in the form of editorial cartoons.

Typically, a newspaper's editorial board evaluates which issues are important for their readership to know the newspaper's opinion on.

Editorials are typically published on a dedicated page, called the editorial page, which often features letters to the editor from members of the public; the page opposite this page is called the op-ed page and frequently contains opinion pieces (hence the name "think pieces") by writers not directly affiliated with the publication. However, a newspaper may choose to publish an editorial on the front page. In the English-language press, this occurs rarely and only on topics considered especially important; it is more common, however, in some European countries such as Denmark, Spain, Italy, and France.

Many newspapers publish their editorials without the name of the leader writer. Tom Clark, leader-writer for The Guardian, says that it ensures readers discuss the issue at hand rather than the author. On the other hand, an editorial does reflect the position of a newspaper and the head of the newspaper, the editor, is known by name. Whilst the editor will often not write the editorial themselves, they maintain oversight and retain responsibility.

Photo-editorial In the field of fashion publishing, the term is often used to refer to photo-editorials – features with often full-page photographs on a particular theme, designer, model or other single topic, with or (as in a photo-essay) without accompanying text.

References

References

1. Staff. (23 May 2012). "Opinion". [[The New York Times]].
2. Staff. (23 May 2012). "Opinion". [[The Boston Globe]].
3. Staff. (2012). "AAEC The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists". The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.
4. Passante, Christopher K.. (2007). "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Journalism – Editorials". Penguin.
5. Christie Silk. (15 June 2009). "Front Page Editorials: a Stylist Change for the Future?". World Editors' Forum.
6. (10 January 2011). "Why do editorials remain anonymous?". [[The Guardian]].
7. (2011). "First with the news: an illustrated history". [[Random House]].
8. "Various editorials".

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