Most journalists prior to the twentieth century did not distinguish as clearly as modern American journalists seem to between “fact” and “opinion.” Thus, Addison and Defoe in Britain or Benjamin Franklin in the United States wrote stories that modern readers would probably take for “columns.” As the drive for objectivity became more important, however, a distinct sort of journalist began to appear in the pages of American newspapers. The origin of so-called newspaper columnists lies some time in the nineteenth century when literary-inclined journalists began writing regular stories for newspapers. Some, like Ambrose Bierce, favored social or political satire; others, such as Lafcadio Hearn, produced humorous or colorful sketches of urban life. Although these writers were regularly featured in their papers, their writing was still not sharply distinguishable from the general news stories that surrounded them.

Columns developed a more important institutional role in the twentieth century as distinctions between “editorial” content—opinionated analysis of current events—and “news”—empirical descriptions—became more keenly drawn. Readers retained a desire for a more opinionated take on events: some guidance about not only what happened, but what the event in question meant. This resulted in more individual opinion columns.

Columnists’ articles have generally appeared on the editorial pages, although they have expanded to sports and features. Gossip and trade news are special subgenres. Unlike editorials, columns are signed, meaning that they express the opinion only of the writer, not the newspaper as a whole. Columnists are often reporters of some standing and expertise or have had reputations in other fields, like Eleanor Roosevelt or Hillary Clinton. The writing in such columns is often more colorful and fiery than regular news, sometimes more analytical, but always more clearly subjective.

Famous newspaper columnists have included Walter Lippman, Walter Winchell, H.L. Mencken and Will Rogers. More recently, writers such as Molly Ivins and George Will have become popular enough among readers that their columns are syndicated.

Some columnists develop reputations in one particular field. Dave Barry, for example, is known as a humor columnist; Red Smith was primarily a sports columnist.