Sample Commentary for Current Events Essay Writing

Looking for guidance on essay writing? In an essay, the writer takes a stand on an issue and backs it up with fact. The essay should employ literary devices and some elements of creativity--it shouldn't just be dry fact. It's similar to creative non-fiction in that fact is written about creatively.

Essays are similar to commentaries (also called editorial or op-ed), in which the writer comments, from his own opinion and experience, on trending news stories. Typically, other stories or facts are employed to back up the author's contention. Writers need to be careful not to write too much fact with essays/commentaries. The piece is then an analysis. Essays should clearly reflect the writer's opinion. Here's an example from a piece I wrote for Yahoo!

--Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to censor. Take the matter of online photo sharing--there's sometimes a fine line between offensive content and freedom of speech (or share). Who's to say what constitutes offensive material. There's no one-size-fits-all model  that works for every situation.

Like a fly, Facebook keeps getting tangled in the censorship web. Time and again, photos are banned that shouldn't be. Case in point are the images from a breast cancer survivor which Facebook deemed obscene. Read more at...Facebook's Odd Photo Bans Highlight Censorship Dilemmas 

Editorial, Commentary, Persuasive Speech Writing Sample

This begins an article I wrote for Yahoo! News. I have written in in the form of an editorial, commentary or persuasive speech. It might also be used as an essay example. It begins: "Ask anyone age 40 if they remember seeing so many obese children and overweight teenagers. The answer will be a resounding no. Juvenile obesity is the fastest growing health issue in America, as well it should be. America is killing children, one mouthful at a time. In the U.S., we are literally poisoning children, with every bite we feed them." To read more, click here...