Two op/eds to emulate

Whether you agree with her or not, check out Samantha Power's recent op/ed in the New York Times. Look at how she constructs it: she's done her own reporting, which she adds in as personal narrative in the introduction. She makes it clear where she stands without a sentence that sounds like a thesis statement. Then she launches into the hard facts of the topic she's covering in an engaging, conversational style. She uses relatively short sentences, and simple, unpretentious language. She orders her facts logically, mixing in anecdotes and quotes. She starts and ends strong, and puts a face on the issue she's discussing. It's a very powerful piece.

From the other side of the fence is a piece by Peggy Noonan, who is a consitently strong conservative opinion writer and a former Reagan speech writer. Her style here is markedly different from Power's, and one that really only works in very few situations. Her first-person narrative style is really only appropriate when writing about something intensely personal, that would sound cold otherwise -- in this case, religion. Of course, many of us do use "I" occassionally in columns, but in this one she leans on it, discussing her experiences in the first person. Again, really only useful in a few situations -- otherwise, it can sound self-inflated and lacking credibility. Anyway, check out both the op/eds. They're solid.