The roles and functions of opinion journalists

<jats:p> Opinion is a prominent, yet understudied, aspect of American journalism. The lack of empirical research on opinion journalists is problematic because it means little is known about the roles of these journalists. This study builds on recent journalistic role research to identify which roles and functions of journalism are most applicable to opinion journalists. A nationwide survey revealed that opinion journalists identify the monitorial and participatory roles as most important to their work. </jats:p>