Opinions Writing Preview Activity

Story 1- Ideacide and you: the guide to avoid self-censorship

1.  A member of the Dispatch; the story is an editorial and holds no name.

2.  The story is about self-censorship and its consequences, mainly how we should avoid self-censorship.

3.  "We should all  make an effort to actively note and rethink our hesitations, for freely expressing our thoughts will add different perspectives and have an impact on important issues."

4.  Not really. They described how self-censorship can appear in one's life, but as an editorial piece they write the stance that was voted the most.

5.  No. They solidly explained with reasoning their opinion, stating that "we miss an opportunity to share our views."

6.  No quotes.

7.  1st person. Lot's of  "we".


Story 2 - Letter from the Editors

1.  Editors-in-Chief Cianna Chairez and Abby Ong.

2.  The story is about The Dispatch's focus of this issue was to clarify things such as the goals and common sense rules in The Dispatch and changes implemented in this newspaper issue. 

3.  " Readers should know that news stories are meant to be objective and informative whereas commentary stories serve as a place for a writer to take a stance on a subject."

also

"Journalists exist to inform the public and should be held accountable for the work that they put out."

4.  It briefly talks about the idea that journalists are enemy to the people and spread fake news.

5. No, the writers were very clear and direct with what they were saying, with no indication of being "wishy-washy". As they said, " The Dispatch is committed to asking questions and presenting the facts of various issues."

6. No quotes.

7. 1st person.

Story 3- Understanding political perspectives

1.  Carter Scruggs

2.  The story is about how the increase of political activeness is leading towards more opinionated sides, and how people shouldn't judge other people based on what they believe in.

3. "Our political beliefs are just one of the things that makes us who we are, but that doesn't mean we should let it control every other aspect of our life."

4.  Yes, he said that people feel that political beliefs affect their life.

5. No, they clearly made a solid opinion and even put an analogy at the end of the story, saying "Imagine you're a cow... and you have to eat food out of a trough. You have to eat it because you have no choice. Should we judge others because they eat different food?"

6. No.

7. 1st Person.

Story 4- IDs spark debate: purpose vs. plastic

1.  Ian Miller (a) and Jake Brien (b)

2.  The story talks about how IDs in our school isn't bad and isn't going to make school worse.(a)

The story talks about how IDs in our school are bad and don't provide the protection that it showcased.(b)

3. "The abundance of students who think this new system is the end of the world for them need to reconsider their priorities."(a)

"I don't want an ID system that's more focused on providing multiple services to students than it is protecting them." (b)

4. Yes, other students don't like the IDs.(a) Yes, Students think this ID will protect them somewhat and is useful.

5. No, they both made clear statements that explained their reasoning.  (a) He gave an analogy of IDs like they are flu shots, painful but protecting. (b) He explained that Bowie needs to update their security systems more than giving IDs to students.

6. None.

7. Both 1st person.

Story 5- Chat with Nat - college applications cost more than just your personal drive.

1. Natalie Aman

2.  College applications cost way too much and should be lower.

3. "I personally think that applying to colleges should cost half as much as it currently does."

4.  It mentions briefly that people work with thousands college applications as a job and must get payed for the work. It also mentions that the high amount of money needed will lead to motivation for students to become hard working and improve their saving-money skill.

5. No, she explained the cost of shipping scores to colleges, cost of applications, and explained that the cost of college applications should be at least affordable.

6. None.

7.  1st Person.

A. Hard news stories gives you facts and information that may be interesting or needed, and it quotes only other people's opinions, while an opinion piece tells the author's opinions to the general issue.

B. This page doesn't need to be backed up with pictures because the main idea isn't just the issue, it's also what the author thinks. Pictures are needed more when displaying an issue, not displaying an opinion (which may be impossible).

C. Topic on fixing the speakers in the P.E hallway, Topic on what to put on or next to the television screens in Bowie ( a clock would be nice), and topic on what needs to be and how can they be updated on the Bowie website (club info is incomplete, a map of Bowie's area would've been nice, FAQ's about FIT and other things are outdated).