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OpinionOpinionPast Article

An Argument Still Needs a Source

Opinion is not a license to invent the tape. It is a license to say what you think the tape means.

By Samuel Ives, Opinion Editor

New York1 min read

blue circuit board
blue circuit boardPhoto by Umberto on Unsplash

This is an argument about the job. The opinion page exists so a writer can say 'I think' without pretending the newsroom took a vote. It does not exist so a writer can improve a dull set of facts.

If the yield was 4.94 percent, it was 4.94 percent. If the vote was 10–2, it was 10–2. My view of those facts is the part that belongs to me. The facts belong to the documents. Switching them is how opinion columns become fan fiction with a kicker.

I would rather a short argument that cites the statement than a long one that cites the atmosphere. Atmosphere does not have a URL. The statement does. Use the URL.

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