Aashish Mishra

Opinion pieces have certainly lost a bit of their charm. In the age of blogs and social media, getting opinion pieces published in a newspaper is no longer as big of a deal as it used to be. There is still an aura of prestige around it and getting featured in a news space (paper or portal) is indeed a credibility boost. But when it comes to getting a point across to the masses in the age of the internet, news organisations are neither the only nor the most effective medium to do that.
So then are opinion pieces obsolete? Well, this depends on how you look at it but I argue no. They are still an absolute necessity for those trying to get their foot into persuasive writing or public expression because opinion pieces help writers sharpen their arguments.
Opinion pieces require that writers have a fixed central focus on the issue they are writing about. The points cannot be all over the place, the same writing cannot be talking about everything under the sun. They need to hone in one subject and justify the viewpoint that the writer holds on that subject. In simpler words, opinion pieces need to be concise, logical and well-reasoned. To do that, they must consider any and all counterclaims and arguments that can be raised at them. They need to prove to themselves that their central thesis will hold up to any scrutiny and opposition. So, opinion pieces are a great way for people to learn the way to develop stable and rational perspectives.
They also, at least in my experience, help get rid of dogmas. As mentioned above, opinion pieces require that the other side’s arguments be considered. If an opinion piece only presents views that the writer thinks is correct without stopping to acknowledge the opposition, then it is not considered a good opinion piece. In fact, online media and offline newspapers may not even publish it. So, other’s views have to be taken into account, and in doing so, the writer’s own stance often evolves. It becomes more inclusive, less accusatory and less divisive.
For example, let’s say we want to write an article on introducing the death penalty for those found guilty of rape. At first thought, we might support a call for rapists to be put to death. After all, there is no place for such a heinous crime in our society and anyone who commits such vile acts against another human being needs to be punished in the most severe way possible.
But to write a proper piece, we will have to consider the cons of our vehemently held beliefs. Not everyone found guilty is actually guilty. People are framed, there is corruption in the system and there are dangers of sentiments trumping justice. Therefore, when we look at all the nuances, we may develop some reservations about arguing for the death penalty.
The fact is, whenever there is a debate or disagreement, there are always valid points on both sides. Opinion pieces can certainly have an opinion, they can try to persuade people to one side, but they cannot lie, they cannot hide. The strength of opinion pieces lies in convincing people to adopt the author’s way of thinking despite the other side also having logical arguments. Opinion pieces teach us to regard the opposition while not endorsing them. That is why they are not obsolete, that is why we need to keep writing them.