The whole point of an opinion piece is to rigorously argue a position. How else can you convince people of something. And note how the author of this piece failed in that task. This is what the NY Times says in their writing guide for high school students.
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It is a common mistake to believe that columns and editorials, unlike news articles, do not need to be thoughtful and measured. In truth, writing a column or editorial takes more reporting, not less. While the reporting for a news article needs to continue until all reasonable sides can be adequately represented, the reporting for an opinion piece needs to continue until the writer can judge reasonably which side has the strongest case. That takes more work, not less.
I base my statement on what the NY Times publishes on its op ed pages, not on what it provides in its guidelines. I would certainly prefer that the pieces be better reported.
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/specials/weblines/48...
-- It is a common mistake to believe that columns and editorials, unlike news articles, do not need to be thoughtful and measured. In truth, writing a column or editorial takes more reporting, not less. While the reporting for a news article needs to continue until all reasonable sides can be adequately represented, the reporting for an opinion piece needs to continue until the writer can judge reasonably which side has the strongest case. That takes more work, not less.