As a column, an opinion-forming and journalistic text is called, which is a form of the commentary. The column is often written by an editor or a changing guest pub, and always appears regularly in the same place of the respective medium. It is an opinion and thus reflects the views of the author on a matter of fact.
The term is derived from the Latin (columna) and can be translated into approximately with column or also support. The translation points to another meaning that the word can have: namely the column of columns in letterpress printing, which is also referred to as a column. This column of sentences means the division of a book page into several columns, which can promote the legibility of the text.
Note: The term is, however, usually used in connection with the journalistic text, whose characteristics are described in detail below. At the end of the article, there are further references to the column of book printing, where dead and living column titles are explained.
Characteristics of journalistic texts
The column is an opinion-forming text, which usually appears in a print medium and is composed by a single (known) author or by renowned guest authors. These authors are mostly journalists and are referred to as columnists
Columns appear regularly, with the respective medium setting the rhythm itself. Often, however, they appear day or week, and are always found in the same place and are color-coded, by means of headings or pictures of the rest.
They are delimited by the fact that columns are usually not edited and are therefore not edited before the publication and are printed as before. Furthermore, they are delineated, since it becomes so clear that the newspaper does not necessarily identify with the represented opinion.
This also reveals the unmistakable style of the respective author and reveals his views unfiltered. This effect can lead to the binding of the reader, who can access the respective magazine or newspaper again due to a regular column.
The column is, in principle, a form of expression and therefore not defined on any particular topic, but current news and known areas are often dealt with.
The authors often use quite everyday stories written in the ego form and end with a point, with numerous columns also having a polemical character. However, the last three features can not be found in every text example.
Note: The column found its way into the German newspaper landscape at a very late stage, with examples from the USA serving as a model. There were famous columnists like Walter Lippmann, James Reston or C.L. Sulzberger as important institutions of opinion formation.
Difference: Column, message, comment and gloss
There are numerous journalistic texts. However, it is probably the most difficult to separate columns of news, commentaries and the gloss. For this reason we would like to mention below the essential features, so that a clear distinction becomes possible.
The message should be objective, current, and contains information. Messages answer the W questions and may in no case include the personal opinion of the author. They are short and straightforward and should clearly indicate what is the issue. The most important thing is at the beginning.
The commentary is a clear-headed expression. Messages are annotated in the commentary, that is, they are linguistically evaluated, with an opinion always being included. The comment requires its own opinion, but also a conclusion, ie a conclusion, and is clearly formulated. Reviews and reviews are, for example, special forms of the commentary.
The column is certainly a special form of the commentary. Columns appear regularly and are mostly authored by the same author. Here, the author tells a story that is often written in the I-form. The column is an opinion, but does not have to refer to a message.
The gloss is essentially different from the fact that on the one hand the subject of the event is ironic and sarcastic, and can convey an opinion in any case. On the other hand, it is stylistically high-quality and is characterized by a high level of expertise with regard to the glossed article.
Column in letterpress
As already described, the term is also used in letterpress printing. Here he is also familiar as a column set. This set of columns means the fact that the text of a book page is divided into several columns. We know this from lexicons and other reference works.
The column set in letterpress
The above example illustrates what is at stake. That one