Opinionated?

He made a red check mark on the door frame just to remind us to check our emotions at the door. Got it. In a classroom setting, that's easy to do. Also, we are to write the facts without putting our opinion out there. It's a script for broadcast, not an opinion editorial. Keep it to yourself. Easy, no problem. Well, I've unknowingly written opinions on pieces without realizing. 

I was writing a story about Sarah Palin's hair (Yes, her hair.) based on this article from the Boston Herald. I enjoyed that piece. Yes it was silly and a bit ridiculous, but it was a light assignment in the world of current events. Unfortunately, I--going from the article--wrote that Palin sported an "out-of-date" hairstyle. It would have been fine for me to quote someone saying that or to say "what some have said is an out-of-date hairstyle" but for me to say that is showing my own opinion.

I just got a package script back today that was about Bush promising to bring troops home from Iraq. Part of the article said this: "Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has advocated pulling all U.S. combat forces out of Iraqi within 16 months of taking office." (Yes, I realize that says Iraqi. It's a direct quote. Should it say "Iraq" that's what I thought...maybe I'm missing something? Read the article here.) Well, anyway I used that to end the script. It didn't feel like a nice finish and I needed about 10 more seconds anyway, so I finished with: "If he should become our next president, we can hope to expect more than just 8,000 troops back on the home front." I figured that was okay because isn't that what he said anyway? If you guessed that isn't not okay, you're right. I can't go around telling people that if Obama becomes president he will send our boys home. What I thought I was doing was giving myself a nice ending that people would like. Some people, sure, but not everyone thinks those troops should come back home just yet. So, really, I only said what I thought would appease some people.

This whole keeping my opinion--even when it isn't necessarily my opinion!--to myself is trickier than I thought.

♥, TiffanyAnne