Nowadays, we sometimes read and hear the word op-ed more than once a day in the news. It sounds important, at least in the tone of voice that we hear it mentioned, but what is it?
It’s pretty easy to understand. Op-ed originally meant “opposite editorial page” – you know, those interesting opinions that are published by newspapers but that do not necessarily express the opinion of the publication. And as you have already guessed, they are published on the page that is opposite the editorial page. Nowadays, however, op-ed might simply mean a commentary that is an “opinion editorial”.
Donald Trump reacted angrily to an op-ed published by the New York Times on September 5, 2018. The op-ed in question was an essay written by a senior official who works inside the Trump government, but the newspaper published it anonymously. The unknown author described Trump as “erratic, impulsive, unstable, misguided, petty, and anti-democratic, just to mention a few of the descriptive adjectives used.
Trump called the author gutless and has asked the Attorney General to investigate the source of the op-ed. He posted a message on Twitter that said simply, “Treason?” Treason is punishable by death in the U.S.A.
Critics of the New York Times think it was unfair to publish such a controversial criticism anonymously. They think that whoever the mole is, he or she should step forward and resign. Other people are saying that it was a selfish justification on the author’s behalf.
The New York Times asserts that they published a significant first-person perspective from a conservative who thinks that he or she is serving the country by helping this particular president resist some of his worst impulses.
We are introducing the category, Self-Study, to our content as a way to broaden the challenges in this blog. Self-study is generally about learning to motivate yourself and taking responsibility for your own education, much needed skills in any walk of life. As for learning and improving on a second language, self-study is a perfect way to further develop your reading comprehension and vocabulary, which will naturally add to any associated language abilities. As our subject material is usually an eclectic mix of topics, we hope that Self-Study will enrich and empower you with new language skills. Please feel free to make any comments or contributions in the spaces below the topics.
Betsy is the best english teacher I’ve ever had! Her classes are always an amazing experience. She guides our conversation with different and interesting topics each day, what allows us not only to improve the vocabulary but also learn/ discuss about other cultures and subjects. I know I’m going to be totally addicted to this blog!
Betsy was the my English teacher in Uberaba, a long time ago…. An excellent teacher, a wonderful human-being. She gave me the nickname I gladly adopted ever since. We became close friends and we are still close – in our hearts.
Meu compromisso semanal com a Betsy não pode ser considerado uma aula, e sim um momento onde dois amigos conversam, em inglês, sobre assuntos variado do dia a dia. Ela é uma pessoa muito atualizada, antenada no que acontece no mundo e em nossa cidade, e sempre traz seu ponto de vista sobre algum tema que debatemos. O que mais me impressiona é que a Betsy nunca vai para uma aula sem prepara-la, sem que tenha pesquisado e buscado textos e informações que muito acrescentam, tanto no idioma quanto no conhecimento geral. É um grande prazer poder usufruir de uma companhia tão agradável, e que não está preocupa somente em ensinar o idioma, mas que procura debater temas e assuntos do nosso cotidiano. Considero um privilégio este momento com ela, e somente tenho a agradecer sua dedicação e seu comprometimento.
É um prazer falar das aulas da Betsy. São empolgantes, temas variados e atuais, envolventes, bem preparados e com muito amor, com certeza. Acredito que seu blog será “helpful ” para todos aqueles que têm interesse em aprender a língua inglesa ou simplesmente intensificar seu conhecimento. Um abraço carinhoso e sucesso!
Thank you for this article.
Thank you, Jane. Did you know the term before?
Difícil ter um presidente temperamental ou “destemperado” como Trump, mas acredito q um op-ed publicado com tais críticas, partido de alguém de dentro do governo ,deveria sim ser assinado! Se houve coragem para escrever, tem q haver a mesma coragem para assinar!
Adorei aprender sobre “op-ed” neste matéria tão bem escrita por você, como sempre!
Obrigada! Parabéns!
Thank you, Enilda. But you do realize that if the person had signed his or her name, he or she would have had to resign from their government job, and then the person would no longer be close to the President to save us from what the author called Trump’s impetuous, petty and misguided actions.