How to write an opinion column

How to find your voice as a comment writer

Expressing a strong opinion is the easiest way to engage an audience with a news story, and with thought-provoking opinions at a premium, it's also an increasingly fertile source for journalists. Knowing how to present a strong point of view is an important skill for any writer, or activist. But doing it right is no easy task. To do the job, you have to research the news correctly to find your story, find an original and stimulating angle, maintain ethical equilibrium, have enough personality in your writing to capture the imagination of your readers, and not get yourself or your employers into legal trouble.

This course brings some of the Guardian's biggest personalities together to show you how it's done. Columnist Suzanne Moore offers invaluable advice on how to find your voice – and make it heard – while Comment is Free editor Natalie Hanman provides expert insight into what commissioners are looking for and how to make your writing and thinking stand out.

This course is for you if...

• You're a journalist who wants to establish a stronger editorial voice, or get more interesting commissions
• You write for a website or blog and want to know how to present your arguments with confidence and argue with skill
• You work for NGOs, lobby groups or similar and will need to submit advocacy pieces to comment pages and websites
• You're new to writing and want to break into the industry through comment pieces or citizen journalism

Course description

This large scale event features talks from some of the Guardian's biggest names, providing an overview of the fundamental skills necessary for writing first-person opinion pieces, and how to get them commissioned.

• How to establish authority of opinion
• Finding your way through a complex story – how to read and spin the news
• Being original without being facetious
• Writing tips to polish your personality on the page
• Perils of the job – pitfalls to avoid

Tutor profiles

Suzanne Moore is an award-winning columnist for the Guardian. She has also written for the the Mail on Sunday and the Independent, and previously worked as culture editor of Marxism Today and contributing editor of New Statesman.

Natalie Hanman is the editor of the Guardian's Comment is free section, the home of Guardian and Observer comment and debate which hosts hundreds of discussions every week on a wide range of topics from across the world.

One more speaker to be announced.

Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website