This course teaches you how to research the news to find stories, and express your personality in your writing. You’ll learn essential skills for developing original and engaging angles, and gain pointers on the ethics and legalities of opinion writing from our panel of experts. It’s the ultimate primer for anyone who wants to learn how to present a strong argument with confidence.
Course content
- Guardian columnist Suzanne Moore on how to find your voice in articles
- Weekend magazine writer Tim Dowling on how to use your own life experiences in your writing
- Freelance writer Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett on starting your career and taking the first steps towards being a comment writer
- Weekend magazine columnist Sophie Heawood on turning the personal into the political
- Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee on how to write a column and raise important issues through your writing
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 learn how to present your arguments with skill and confidence
- You work for a NGO, lobby group or similar and 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
Tutor profiles
Suzanne Moore is an award-winning columnist for the Guardian. She has also written for the Mail on Sunday and the Independent, and previously worked as culture editor of Marxism Today and contributing editor of New Statesman.
Polly Toynbee is a columnist for the Guardian. She was formerly BBC social affairs editor, columnist and associate editor of the Independent, co-editor of the Washington Monthly and a reporter and feature writer for the Observer. She won the Orwell Prize for journalism in 1998 and in 2007 was named Columnist of the Year at the British Press Awards. Polly has also written and co-authored many books – her latest Cameron’s Coup, co-authored with David Walker, reveals how in four short years the Conservative Party has reversed decades of social progress. Read Polly’s Guardian articles here.
Sophie Heawood writes a weekly column about life, love, the Labour Party and anything else in Guardian Weekend magazine. She also used to write a column called Milf Teeth for Vice.com, about trying to combine single parenthood with going out a lot. Prior to this she lived in LA interviewing Hollywood celebrities, and also spent many years as a music journalist, going on tour with bands all round the world. She has freelanced extensively for The Times, Independent, NME, Elle and Grazia, among many others.
Tim Dowling is a journalist for the Guardian. He writes a weekly column for Weekend magazine and is the author of several books, including How To Be A Husband. Read Tim’s Guardian articles here.
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a London-based freelance writer. She co-founded The Vagenda blog and is co-author of The Vagenda: A Zero Tolerance Guide to the Media.
Details
This course has now passed – but we update our programme all the time. For information on our full range of masterclasses, sign up to our newsletter, follow us on Twitter, or keep an eye on our calendar.
To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.
Returns policy
Tickets may be refunded if you contact us at least 14 days before the course start date. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.
