These aren't "opinion" articles. Their findings are reasoned and presented like facts. If the NYT wrote "Quit eating chocolate, your health may depend on it", would you perceive it as an opinion, or advice based on facts/research?
As 8ytecoder said, Cal Newport has never been wishy-washy on this topic (please correct me if I'm wrong). He's also been pretty clear in interviews that deep work is incredibly beneficial for some professions and less so for others. I know there are careers out there where having a social media presence is important (PR, marketing, etc) and others where it's not necessary and would be a hindrance to getting deep work done.