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This op-ed explores the pros and cons of unpaid internships and argues that they exploit students. It highlights the unfairness of companies benefiting from free student labor and calls for wages for internships.
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Opinion-Editorial or Op-ed A feature story with a clear opinion. Its goal: to persuade people to your point of view.
What must a good op-ed have? • News hook – why this topic right now? • Audience – must be relevant and interesting to readers/viewers/listeners • Must have a distinct point of view
The best op-ed piece convinces you with emotion. Anger, humor ...and other genuine, relatable feelings. As well as straight-up facts, information and research….
VERY IMPORTANT If the reader doesn’t know what you think—and early on—something is DESPERATELY wrong!
News angle for internships Over the summer, Rashida Salaam, a former unpaid intern at Bad Boy Entertainment, sued the company, accusing P Diddy and his staff of violating minimum wage laws. Salaam, a recent CCNY graduate, joins increasing numbers of unpaid interns who claim that working for free equals exploitation. Earlier this year, a judge in New York ruled in favor of several unpaid interns who sued the producers of the movie “Black Swan” for violating federal labor laws. This fall, Conde Nast suspended its internship program after students sued W and the New Yorker magazines.
For—good opportunity: • Unpaid internships provide hands-on experience that a student normally would not be able to get. Working with seasoned professionals in a real-world setting, can be an invaluable opportunity. • Working for free as an intern is a short-term investment that can pay off big time after graduation. It’s a foot in the door. Many companies say that once they get to know a student, they are more likely to hire him or her after graduation. • By law, students receive academic credit instead of money. So they do receive “payment;” it’s just not in dollars.
Against—unfair: • Companies make millions—and even billions--of dollars a year, while most students are struggling to get by, saddled with high tuition and loan debt. Why should rich businesses get richer off the backs of free student labor? • In most cases, colleges offer academic credits for internships. However, those credits aren’t free; students still must pay for them. In no universe is paying for the opportunity to work actually fair. • Too often, an unpaid internship doesn’t open the door to a job; instead it leads to another unpaid internship. According to recent news reports, more and more companies are doing away with entry level employees and replacing them with college grad interns. This benefits companies, but not students or graduates.
[headline that states opinion] Volunteer Slavery: Why Unpaid Internships Exploit Students [lede with news] Last summer, Rashida Salaam, a former unpaid intern at Bad Boy Entertainment, sued the company, accusing P Diddy and his staff of violating minimum wage laws. Salaam, a recent CCNY graduate, joins increasing numbers of unpaid interns who claim that working for free equals exploitation. Earlier this year, a judge in New York ruled in favor of several unpaid interns who sued the producers of the movie “Black Swan” for violating federal labor laws. This fall, Conde Nast suspended its internship program after students sued W and the New Yorker magazines [transition] Are these angry unpaid interns jeopardizing their futures by fighting back? [opinion clearly stated] No! They are leading the charge: Unpaid internships are unfair, and students and their advocates must push for wages for their work. [body, 2 pros] In most cases, colleges offer academic credits for internships. However, those credits aren’t free; students still must pay for them in the form of tuition. In no universe is paying for the opportunity to work actually fair. Though unpaid internships sometimes lead to full-time employment, often they don’t open the door to a job. Instead an unpaid internship leads to directly to…another unpaid internship. According to recent news reports, more and more companies are doing away with entry-level employees and replacing them with college-grad interns—the basis of Salaam’s lawsuit. This benefits companies, but not students or graduates. [con; give the other side something!] Working for free as an intern is a short-term investment that can pay off big time down the road. Some think of it as a foot in the door. Most company managers say that once they get to know a student, they are more likely to hire him or her after graduation. [refute the con] But that’s not enough. Unpaid internships equal volunteer slavery. [call to action] Companies make millions—and even billions--of dollars a year, while most students are struggling to get by, saddled with high tuition and loan debt. Why should rich businesses get richer off the backs of free student labor? They shouldn’t. Students should fight back.
Should marijuana be legalized in New York state for recreational purposes – pro or con? • Write a paragraph to explain the news angle for this topic and the basic facts; in other words, explain why this issue matters and why we should care right now. • Gather 6 facts, 3 that support the argument to legalize pot, 3 that support the argument against legalization. • Print out paragraph and facts for class; keep a digital copy.
: There’s no “I” in OpEd! So even though this is your opinion, DO NOT write in first person.
State the facts of your issue or idea tightly --- at best, in your first paragraph. 1. Be brief and to the point.2. Include the news if there is a news angle. 3. Use one short paragraph to state your opinion.
Next, elaborate two, maximum three, supporting points in the next paragraphs. Make sure your paragraphs are short and contain one main idea per paragraph only.
Use facts, statistics and studies to support your arguments. Try not to be boring, preachy or overly technical.
Include a “con” to balance out your “pros.” In other words, concede a point to the other side.
Conclude with a paragraph that draws the piece together. At best, a call to action.
Remember…1. Gather information, facts and news angle on your topic. 2. Stick like glue to the format in the internship piece.3. Write your lede graphs, the ones that state the facts, the news and your opinion4. List at least 2 pros, one con and a call to action. The call to action at the end should be your strongest point.5. DO NOT write in first person. There is no “I” in op-ed.
Plastic Shopping Bags Pro or Con?
[headline that states opinion] Ban the Bag! Plastic Hurts the Environment Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo embraced a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags on Monday April 23, introducing a bill to outlaw them by next year. Cuomo described the measure as an effort to counteract the “blight of plastic bags” that is taking “a devastating toll on our streets, our water and our natural resources.” If the bill passes, New York would join California, which approved a statewide ban of plastic bags in 2016. Hawaii has a de facto ban on plastic bags; all of its counties have instituted bans. [transition] Should New York State follow California’s lead and ban plastic bags outright? [opinion clearly stated] Yes! Ban the bag; plastic, an unnecessary luxury, harms the environment. [body,at least 2 pros] According to the activist organization Greenpeace, ten percent of the plastic produced every year winds up in the ocean. The United Nations Environment Programme has found that every square mile of ocean has about 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in it. This harms sea and plant life – and us. The Environmental Protection Agency and others have shown that plastic in drinking water can be harmful to humans. Though people say they recycle to avoid hurting the environment, they don’t. The Environmental Protection Agency has shown that the average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store – but only about 1 percent of all bags wind up recycled. [con; give the other side something!] Opponents complain that bans and surcharges punish the poor. It can be expensive to buy canvas bags – a luxury for the more well off. Fifteen percent of New York state residents live in poverty -- and 37 percent of women-headed households with children present are classified as poor. Why burden them more? [refute the con] But countries around the world, including many in Africa, our poorest continent, have already banned plastic bags. Kenya banned all plastic bags last year joining Rwanda, South Africa, Ethiopia, Botswana and others. They’ve gotten used to it; so can we. [call to action] We can do without the convenience of plastic bags. If people around the world and in a number of U.S. cities can carry groceries in canvas or paper bags, boxes or baskets, everyone else can, too.
