By Abearica Online Editors · Published
Look for the article's label and ask whose judgment each important sentence expresses. Read factual assertions separately from recommendations, predictions, and quoted reactions. Use that approach before deciding what you can fairly repeat as reporting and what needs attribution to a particular speaker or writer.
Read the label, then inspect the sentences
Start with the heading, section label, and byline. Look for terms such as opinion, column, or analysis. Use the label to set questions for your reading rather than treating it as a substitute for examining the evidence.
Reuters' standards distinguish fact-based news stories from clearly labeled opinion pieces.1
Try marking a passage in your notes as an event claim, an explanation, or a judgment. You do not need to classify every sentence perfectly. Concentrate on the sentence you want to quote or the conclusion you are considering adopting. If a page is labeled analysis, ask which evidence supports its interpretation and what assumptions you would need to accept.
Keep the speaker attached to the statement
Reuters' standards allow other people's opinions in news stories when quoted opinion is authoritative and attributed to a named source.1
When you encounter a prediction or recommendation inside a report, check the attribution. In your notes, preserve who said it and why the report included it. Avoid changing "a source argued this" into "the report established this."
AP's standards say quotations must not be taken out of context.2
Read the passage around a quotation before using it in a conversation. Keep any qualification needed to convey the speaker's meaning. For a statement about public policy, use Influence to begin searching for the document or institution being discussed.
Make a useful reading note
For an overseas topic, use International to plan a source search with the country and institution identified. Ask whether you need an original statement, reporting on events, or an author's argument about their significance. Choose your next source to answer that need.
Finish with two short notes: the evidence you can point to and the interpretation you are still weighing. You might agree with the writer, disagree, or reserve judgment. When returning through Abearica Today, keep those notes distinct so that a remembered opinion does not become an unattributed factual claim in your next conversation.