Op-Education
You’ve got good thoughts, you’re good at getting them down on paper: now how to get newspapers to include them in their op-ed sections? Journalist and author Catherine Orenstein has contributed to the op-ed pages of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Miami Herald. Her opinion pieces on women’s politics, popular culture, and Latin America have run on the Knight-Ridder newswire and have been published in anthologies. She’ll be teaching mb’s “Op-Ed Master Class: Opinion Writing for Authors, Journalists, Scholars, and Activists”, and has a few tips for you:
1. Own your expertise – but don’t limit yourself
you may have an area of specialty, but that is not where your op-ed writing options begin or end. Think of logical connections, as well as areas into which you can expand your focus.2. Follow the news – and stay up on your areas of specialty
It is impossible to be a successful op-ed writer without reading an array of publications on a daily basis. Read general publications, and also ones that address your speciality. If you write about Haiti, read the Haitian press. If you’re covering pop culture, read publications that address that or involve yourself in that area of culture.3. Write Fast
Unless you have an evergreen topic, you’ll have hours or at most a couple of days to get your piece in – before the opportunity is gone. But remember that a good idea may have more than one news hook, so keep an eye out for an opportunity to come around again.4. Write simply
Don’t use the language of an academic, a politician, or a journalist. Eschew — I mean avoid — jargon and fancy language.5. Think like your reader
Recognize that your average reader isn’t an expert in your topic, and you’ll have to go back to the core notions of why it matters. Always.
Starting from scratch, or want to learn more? Enroll in Catherine’s class today!
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