2026-10-11

News, analysis or opinion? How to tell them apart in a minute

Many arguments over 'the news' come from mixing three kinds of writing. Practical signs for each, and the mistakes readers make most.

Readers often blur news, analysis and opinion because all three can appear on one page in the same typeface. Each has a different job, and judging a piece by a job it never promised leads to bad arguments.

News answers who did what, when and where, and attributes each claim to a source you could trace. Its language is descriptive and it does not pass judgement. If you meet words like 'scandal' or 'crushing victory' with no one quoted, the text has stepped outside its role.

Analysis explains why something happened and what may follow. It builds on the facts of the news and adds context, data and questions. Good analysis lays out several possibilities and says where its own reasoning is weak. Poor analysis offers a single prediction with total confidence.

Opinion argues for a position. The writer may take sides, but should say so. Ask whether the facts the argument rests on are correct and whether inconvenient facts were left out.

Before you share, find the author or organisation, the publication date, and a link to a primary source such as a statement, document or recording. Then compare with a second, independent outlet. If the facts match but the interpretations differ, you are looking at two analyses, not two contradictory news reports.

The costliest mistake is passing off opinion as news: the headline says 'revealed' while the body says 'observers believe'. Open the text and find out who the observers are before you repost.