What We’re Planning to Discuss on 9/30

Too often, when writers talk about the tools of the trade, we refer to software, nifty calendars, space age pens, crisp portfolios, and all other manner of gizmos that matter little for the task of writing. This week we want to focus on two tools that really do matter:

• The language.
• The heart.

First, let’s talk language. William Safire, who died on Sunday, made a career of writing about it, and the many of us who read his work and observed the speeches he wrote for others are better off for having seen him in action. Safire assured us that we could play with the words we use as tools. And he knew that the right combination of words could stir emotions as well as any picture — sayings be damned. Yet as we remember Safire we wonder if creative use of language is a dying art form. We wonder if, in the age of instant books and throw-it-on-the-Web-and-see-if-it-sticks reporting, evocative language matters as much as it once did. We also wonder if busy readers hunger for exactly this sort of prose, the sort that Safire prized and singled out in Lend Me Your Ears, a book that collects his favorite speeches from history.

We think Safire appreciated great speechwriting not just because it was his chosen profession for a time, but also because he saw the value in writing from the heart — a place where fact mixes with analysis, opinion, and hyperbole. Untouchable regions for the unbiased reporter. But is this really fair? We’ve seen much debate about this on Twitter and elsewhere this week, in the wake of a new Washington Post policy that asks reporters — we’re paraphrasing here — to refrain from using social networks such as Twitter to offer opinions on news. The fear: Unfiltered participation in conversations wilding about the Social Web could impact the WaPo’s journalistic integrity. We wonder if this policy goes too far, or if it’s a needed change — a way to protect the members of the Fourth Estate from accidentally harming the institution.

So, to recap, our questions for you writers, editors, and publishers who choose to join us:

• Is evocative use of language in writing a lost art form, or as crucial as it ever was?
• Is it ever okay for reporters to have opinions?

Join us to discuss these and other questions on www.friendfeed.com/editorchat tonight at 8:30pm EST.