Satire

[bev]

I was wondering if satire on a controversial subject would be considered op-ed. Thanks.

[Celeste Stewart]

Hi,
I'm guessing that it would be considered op-ed and therefore not considered for the CC marketplace. CC has carved a niche for itself and tends to stay away from topics that won't appeal to its customers. In general, CC's customers are looking for informational articles that complement whatever it is that they are selling. For example, a webmaster operating a site that sells auto accessories probably isn't interested in an opinion piece or satirical expose on the GM bailouts but may be interested in articles about boosting gas mileage or great gifts for car enthusiasts.

[jellygator]

Does anyone know exactly how op-ed is defined? I have always interpreted it as being an article that takes a clearly biased stance instead of being objective. I submitted one that was rejected today for being op-ed. I reviewed it and found two statements that could have been considered biased, so I changed them, but the overall topic was objective, although potentially controversial - a class I would call "investigative reporting."

[Celeste Stewart]

When the topic is controversial or has a couple of potentially biased comments, I can see CC saying "thanks but no thanks." I don't think CC is really interested in investigative reporting even though that type of journalism has its place. It all comes down to its customer base which is mainly marketers and webmasters, not pundits, analysts, investigative reporters, etc... In my opinion, I don't think that CC's trying to avoid controversy or be overy strict; it's just not what they're interested in selling to their customers.

I read a quote on Wikipedia (I know, I know) that I found interesting in regards to the definition of op-ed:

"It occurred to me that nothing is more interesting than opinion when opinion is interesting, so I devised a method of cleaning off the page opposite the editorial, which became the most important in America … and thereon I decided to print opinions, ignoring facts."

[jellygator]

^ That's what confused me. The piece is called "Addiction Marketing" and uses solid sources and research to highlight ways that Americans are increasingly becoming addicted to foods, and why. I could never even remotely imagine it on an op-ed page, but could easily see it on all kinds of medical, lifestyle, health, and nutrition websites.