Bell (1991) identified that Opinion is a piece of specific writing in a specific column in a newspaper or magazine, expressing its assessment, judgment, and evaluation towards a phenomenon in society. Opinion pieces ―explicitly evaluate and develop arguments‖ (White, 1998). This piece of writing is usually written by the senior journalists in the newspaper to ask readers to assess or evaluate a specific social, political, or economic phenomena which attract the whole nation‘s public attention. In this column, the writer can tell his considered attitude and how the ideology to the readers freely. Opinion column is one of the columns in the editorial page consisting of articles related to the public interest. This column usually explains the news behind the scene, events discussing social, economic, and political issues. As commentary writing, the column automatically contains the writer’s assumption, thoughts, reasons and evidence to a particular issue. All of the considerations then lead the writer to give positive or negative judgement toward the topic. Generally, the articles in this column contain commentary, criticism, complaint, suggestion or problem solving that may argue, attack, and try to influence and persuade the readers to accept the writer’s principle.
White (1998) also stated that ―In the media commentary, the role of the author is precisely to offer up subjective interpretations in which a central role is played by explicit value judgements, aesthetic evaluations, theories of cause-and-effect and so on.‖ Hoang Dinh Cuc and Duc Dung (2007) referred to opinion or commentary as a genre with the function of explaining, evaluating, and analyzing typical facts of life. The object of the commentary can be events, phenomena, the current state of life that need to be clarified and oriented. With the art of flexible reasoning by combining evidence, arguments, and attitude, opinion can convince the public to understand and act in the direction of the writers. Commentary is a type of general argumentative essay that includes elements of explanation, analysis, and sometimes proof.
From the points of view mentioned above, the definition of an opinion paper can be presented: Opinion is a genre of journalism that belongs to the editorial group, in which the author uses his argumentative information system to explain, analyze issues of economic, political and social significance and then come to a judgment and assessment on that issue or maybe let the public self-assess.
As regards economic opinion articles, they give ―commentary on the people, companies and ideas shaping the world economy.‖ (slogan of New York Times), offer fair-minded, fact-checked coverage of political economy, economics, business, etc. Economic opinion articles depict economic events, economics policies, then express objective/subjective attitudes to position and persuade readers.