The lead, or opening paragraph, is the most important part of a news story. With so many sources of information – newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and the internet – audiences simply are not willing to read beyond the first paragraph (and even sentence) of a story unless it grabs their interest.

Editorial content in journalism refers to opinion pieces meant to persuade an audience on a specific issue. There are typically four different types of editorial journalism used today, which we will explore further.

4 Types of Editorial Journalism

Editorial content in journalism can be bucketed into the following types:

Interpretation Editorial

The goal of an interpretation editorial is to provide information on the most important current events or issues. These pieces are based on facts and no opinion is expressed, rather they attempt to explain the meaning or the significance of a situation or event.

Examples include news reports and featured articles about world affairs.

Criticism Editorial

A criticism editorial presents a news event through the eyes of a writer, who might either explicitly express an opinion, strive to influence the reader or inspire solutions to a problem.

Examples of criticism editorials are opinion-focused articles and columns.

Editorial of Appreciation

This type of editorial praises people who have done well in their line of work and recognize their achievements.

An example of an editorial of appreciation is an article focused on someone who discovered a new technology or won a prize.

Entertainment Editorial

As the most popular form of editorial content, these pieces are light in nature and cover a variety of topics, including pop culture, fashion, television and cooking.

Examples include columns, fashion “lookbooks,” travel pieces and book reviews.