Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter Twelve Editorials, Opinion Pieces, Columns, Blogs and Cartoons 369 journalists—do not create or misrepresent facts. An effective columnist needs to create a unique voice and appropriate tone to bring readers back, column after column. The Columnist as Reporter The Columnist as Reporter Like a good reporter, a columnist needs to know her beat and her sources well so that she can continue to fi nd interesting story ideas and not miss important developments. She needs a broad base of knowledge and good reporting and interviewing skills. She needs a fi rm grasp of the core news values as well as the knack of fi nding the unsung hero or the out-of-the-way event. She needs a nose for news, for almost all columns are built around a news peg. Show Me What You See Before You Tell Me What You Think Yvette Cabrera is an award- winning investigative journalist. Her Orange County Register column headlined “Brewing: Latinos are the most targeted by the beer industry. How much are we missing because we’re too drunk to remember it?” is about beer and the Latino community. It reports as well as comments. The news pegs—there are two—are the release of a Latino-themed commercial for Miller beer and one local nonprofit’s efforts to fight alcoholism in the community. In her column she reports: ... America Bracho and her Santa Ana nonprofi t Latino Health Access launched a campaign of their own. But not with slick television commercials or thousands of dollars. Instead, America comes live and direct on the kind of sweaty August afternoon that makes you want to retreat to a shady, air-conditioned corner. She and her team of health workers advance into the heat of Santa Ana’s streets. You can see signs of their door-knocking, pavement-pounding work all over the tree-lined neighborhood near Garfi eld Elementary. Sarapes, bright rainbow- colored blankets that symbolize nurturing and caring, are draped from apartment balconies, chain-link fences and doorways. These sarapes show solidarity for alcohol awareness and compassion for families affected by alcohol. Though Cabrera has a strong, even impas- sioned, message, the work of Latino Health Access and the release of the Latino-themed advertising campaign provide the news pegs. Her column is timely and springs from her knowledge of her beat. Photo by Daniel A. Anderson, Courtesy of Yvette Cabrera