How California Is Damaging Faith in Government
Does Putin really think Trump doesn’t SEE him helping Iran?
The New Trump Administration Spells Trouble For the U.S.
What do these opinionated statements have in common? They are all opinion pieces from (sequentially) the New York Times, the New York Post, and the Floyd Central Bagpiper.
Except that we left something out in our headline. The full headline is: “OPINION: The New Trump Administration Spells Trouble For the U.S.”
That’s right. We specified that ours was an opinion, and the established news sources didn’t feel the need to. Opinion sections have been a part of newspapers since newspapers began. In 1954, the South Boston Gazette ran an editorial arguing that people need to be better drivers and to respect the laws of the road (sound familiar? We ran a piece about nearly the same thing last issue).
The Bagpiper believes that opinion pieces are integral to newspapers, and anyone with differing opinions should submit letters to the editor for their voices to be heard. You may be surprised to hear that you can write in the paper if you are not on staff. We take all sorts of guest columns. In fact, we have a whole policy about it on the fcstudentmedia.com website.
“The Bagpiper welcomes letters from students, staff, parents, alumni, and community members. Letters to the editor offer readers an opportunity to express opinions, respond to published content, and engage in respectful dialogue about issues relevant to our school community.”
That’s just an excerpt, and if you want to write your own letter, you should read the whole policy, because there are some limitations. As Americans, we all have the right to free speech, as well as freedom of the press, which means that, legally, if you have an opinion, you have the right to publicly share it. Of course, the school sets guidelines to protect our learning environment so nothing can cause a substantial disturbance. As long as it “encourages civic engagement and student voice, promotes thoughtful discussion of school and community issues, and provides a forum for diverse opinions,” there is a good chance our editorial board will push it through to publication in print or online.
We want to hear your opinions, so whether you feel strongly about a topic or want to rebut against a column our staff published, send your piece to [email protected].
We realize we may not have publicized this as well as we could have, and for that, we take accountability. Being part of the newspaper class may have led us taking the opportunity of sharing our opinions for granted, and someone in the general student or faculty population may not have known they could write in. So, what better way than this editorial to showcase why opinions in the newspaper are so important and how you, our readers, can have input of your own.
The Bagpiper staff sincerely encourages you to write in and share your thoughts, because the paper is the eyes and ears of the whole school, not just the select few who are in the class. That being said, if you write in and decide you enjoy it, we have a whole section of students in the class dedicated to writing opinion pieces. There are a few prerequisites, but if it is something you enjoy, joining the class is always a great option and will give you a consistent way to share your opinions with the whole school.