Getting personal: How first-hand testimony can bring opinion articles to life

Some of the most satisfying articles we publish are those which reach into an author’s personal experience. These columns have something extra. And sometimes they come from the news frontline

(EPA)

We’re a broad church on the comment desk. Our job is to deliver op-eds from a diverse range of writers and on pretty much any topic under the sun. This means that on a given day you might see everything from detailed analysis of Brexit, to revelations about events in the Middle East, to senior voices on racism in sport.

We use in-house commentators who can steep themselves in the detail of political events, as well as external journalists who can bring deep expertise to a topic.

But some of the most satisfying articles we publish are those which reach into an author’s personal experience. These columns have something extra. And sometimes they come from the news front line.