The dawn of social media has led to an alarming loosening of the general rules of what is acceptable in terms of column writing
When in 2015 I decided to seek a career as a columnist in two well-established daily newspapers, in Cyprus, the Cyprus Mail and the Greek-language Alithia, I was aware it would not be easy to attain my goal. However, I was prepared to make the effort, because I felt strongly the need to participate in the political debate on the future of Cyprus; a rather bleak future, after 40 years of ineffective efforts to patch up the enormous damage that was caused by a foolish coup in 1974 and the Turkish invasion that followed it.
Of course, I was aware of my ability to use the Greek and English languages effectively. With respect to the Greek language, this was the result of attending the Classical Department of the Greek Gymnasium of Famagusta, where I had the privilege of being a student of distinguished philologists, such as Yiannis Anagnostopoulos, Theodossis (Sakis) Nikolaou, Kyriakos Plissis, Christoforos Milionis and Panayiotis Sergis. With respect to English, my linguistic skills stemmed from studies and work experience in England from 1963 to 1970, and also from the systematic reading of The Economist, perhaps the best political and economic magazine in the world. These skills were enhanced by reading hundreds of literary and scientific books, written by distinguished authors. This was a habit that I acquired at a fairly young age and which extended well into my professional career as a certified public accountant.
Of course, I was fully aware of the fact that an adequate knowledge of the language, in which I would be writing my articles, was a necessary, but not sufficient condition for success.
The truth is that the late Alecos Constantinides, a widely respected Cypriot journalist, gave me a good push to venture into journalism by guiding my first steps and by encouraging me to bypass the initial difficulties.
The crucial questions are: What makes an article stand out? What is it that young aspiring columnists should pay attention to?
Good articles are founded on an in-depth understanding of the subject matter of the article and on a clear distinction between the facts associated with it and the author’s assessments. The relationship of the columnist with their readership is one of trust, which should not be breached under any circumstances. This relationship of trust will inevitably be shaken by the citing of inaccurate information, even if this is done in good faith. With the advent of the internet, minimising this risk is not a difficult task, as long as the user can distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources of information.
The setting out of the author’s assessments and opinions is not only permissible, but, in fact, it composes the second main objective of an opinion article, beyond the furnishing of information. However, it is essential that the views and opinions of the columnist are expressed in a decent and courteous manner and with respect to opposing views. The author’s assessments and opinions must be substantiated and not be dogmatic. Sometimes it is difficult to achieve these goals within the size limitations of an ordinary article.
An article is not a scientific study and, therefore, extensive references to the sources of information and technical details are not appropriate given the risk of losing the interest of the reader and the … premature interruption of the reading process! The writing must be sufficiently substantiated so as to avoid the setting out of a string of dogmatic positions, but, at the same time, must be short and to the point. Chattering has no place. Above all, the writing must have sequence, by one thought leading on to the next one.
A serious columnist will never accept the role of being a ‘propaganda agent’ for third parties. This is the role of other service providers. A columnist should be characterised by decency, honesty and frankness. This behaviour is dictated by the respect a columnist must have for their readers, who should never be taken for granted.
One of the problems that a columnist is often confronted with is that his/her readership is lacking in uniformity, in terms of intelligence, education, experience and linguistic ability. This differentiation requires the adoption of a style of writing that the ‘average reader’ can follow. However, determining the characteristics of the ‘average reader’ is not an easy task. In practice, each columnist chooses the newspaper or magazine that generally reflects themselves. This is the medium chosen by its readers, who – as a rule – have common characteristics with those of the columnist.
But perhaps the most important qualification of a good columnist is the boldness and the courage with which they express their views. Without fear, but with controlled passion. With a critical, but constructive predisposition. With a view to serving the general interest of society. Without ending up being a ‘windmill’, the columnist must be prepared to reconsider their views, when developments show the errors of their previous positions.
Undoubtedly, the columnist serves a public function and must do so in an objective and responsible manner, having no hesitation to criticise wrongdoings and to applaud achievements and positive actions.
I find it regrettable that the social networking media (Facebook in particular) have standards that leave a lot to be desired. The discussions often held there resemble casual coffeeshop debates and, sometimes, are limited to the exchange of insults. On top, the so-called ‘Greeklish’ (Greek phrases written with Latin characters) is something I find barbaric. I sincerely hope that this situation is not the antechamber of the articles of the future.
I am not in a position to know whether article writing and, more generally, journalism is taught as part of the philological education provided in our secondary schools. I would very much like to see young people falling in love with the subject because – as we all know – teenage love affairs are the ones we remember for the rest of our lives. Moreover, the involvement of young people in article writing would be a good way of raising their awareness of the political problems that torment society and would enhance their political sensitivities. A word of caution: ‘political’ is not synonymous with ‘partisan’. The risk of confusing the two is real.
Christos Panayiotides is a regular columnist for the Sunday Mail and Alithia
