Take your soapbox to a larger crowd

[Rick336]

Ever since the defeat of prop 8 in California on November 4th, you guys have had some very inspiring posts on this forum. I am impressed by so many articulate and eloquent opinions here. But as impressive as they are, they are probably read by only around 500 people.

Those same thoughts and opinions could easily be read by hundreds of thousands or even a million people if printed in an op-ed editorial in a newspaper. (Op-ed means "opposite editorial" because it is usually printed on the opposite page from the paper's main editorial.)

I live in a medium size city with around 160,000 people. The Sunday edition of our local newspaper however, goes out to 250,000 people all across the northwestern part of the state. If only 25 percent of those people who receive the Sunday paper read the op-ed article on the editorial page, that's 100,000 people. That's two-hundred times more than would read it on this forum.

In a larger city like Atlanta or Chicago or Houston, an Op-ed article could be seen by as many as 500,000 to a million people if other internet news sites pick it up which often happens.

Since 1980, I have had four op-ed articles published in local newspapers. Two have been about LGBT equality, one was about offshore drilling, and one was about spending my childhood summers on my grandfather's farm. I estimate that somewhere around 500,000 people have read my words over the years and almost all the feedback has been positive. And all it took was for me to sit down in front of a word processor and type out what I wanted to say and then submit it to my local newspaper.

From what I read in this forum, I think there's many here that also have something important to tell the world. All it takes is to sit down and do it.

David Jarmul of Duke University offers this advice on writing and submitting op-ed articles:

Limit the article to 750 words.
Shorter is even better. Some academic authors insist they need more room to explain their argument. Unfortunately, newspapers have limited space to offer, and editors generally won't take the time to cut a long article down to size.

Make a single point - well.
You cannot solve all of the world's problems in 750 words. Be satisfied with making a single point clearly and persuasively. If you cannot explain your message in a sentence or two, you're trying to cover too much.

Put your main point on top.
You're not writing for Science or The Quarterly Journal of Economics. You have no more than 10 seconds to hook a busy reader, which means you shouldn't "clear your throat" with a witticism or historical aside. Just get to the point and convince the reader that it's worth his or her valuable time to continue.

Tell readers why they should care.
Put yourself in the place of the busy person looking at your article. At the end of every few paragraphs, ask out loud: "So what? Who cares?" You need to answer these questions. Will your suggestions help reduce readers' taxes? Protect them from disease? Make their children happier? Explain why. Appeals to self-interest usually are more effective than abstract punditry.

Offer specific recommendations.
An op-ed is not a news story that simply describes a situation; it is your opinion about how to improve matters. Don't be satisfied, as you might in a classroom, with mere analysis. In an op-ed article you need to offer recommendations. How exactly should North Carolina safeguard its environment, or the White House change its foreign policy? You'll need to do more than call for "more research!" or suggest that opposing parties work out their differences.

Showing is better than discussing.
You may remember the Pentagon's overpriced toilet seat that became a symbol of profligate federal spending. You probably don't recall the total Pentagon budget for that year (or for that matter, for the current year). That's because we humans remember colorful details better than dry facts. When writing an op-ed article, therefore, look for great examples that will bring your argument to life.

Use short sentences and paragraphs.
Look at some stories in the News & Observer, the Herald-Sun or a national newspaper, and count the number of words per sentence. You'll probably find the sentences to be quite short. You should use the same style, relying mainly on simple declarative sentences. Cut long paragraphs into two or more shorter ones.

Don't be afraid of the personal voice.
Academics often avoid first-person exposition in professional journals, which rarely begin with phrases like "You won't believe what I found when I was working in my lab on Research Drive last month." When it comes to op-eds, however, it's good to use the personal voice whenever possible. If you are a physician, describe the plight of one of your patients. If you've worked with poor families, tell their stories to help argue your point.

Avoid jargon.
If a technical detail is not essential to your argument, don't use it. When in doubt, leave it out. Simple language doesn't mean simple thinking; it means you are being considerate of readers who lack your expertise and are sitting half-awake at their breakfast table or computer screen.

Use the active voice.
Don't write: "It is hoped that [or: One would hope that} the government will . . ." Instead, say "I hope the government will . . ." Active voice is nearly always better than passive voice. It's easier to read, and it leaves no doubt about who is doing the hoping, recommending or other action.

Avoid tedious rebuttals.
If you've written your article in response to an earlier piece that made your blood boil, avoid the temptation to prepare a point-by-point rebuttal. It makes you look petty. It's likely that readers didn't see the earlier article and, if they did, they've probably forgotten it. So, just take a deep breath, mention the earlier article once and argue your own case.

Make your ending a winner.
You're probably familiar with the importance of a strong opening paragraph, or "lead," that hooks readers. But when writing for the op-ed page, it's also important to summarize your argument in a strong final paragraph. That's because many casual readers scan the headline, skim the opening column and then read only the final paragraph and byline. In fact, one trick many columnists use is to conclude with a phrase or thought that they used in the opening, thereby closing the circle.

Relax and have fun.
Many authors, particularly academics, approach an op-ed article as an exercise in solemnity. Frankly, they'd improve their chances if they'd lighten up, have some fun and entertain the reader a bit. Newspaper editors despair of weighty articles - known in the trade as "thumb suckers."

How to submit an article.
If you do choose to submit an article, be sure to include your contact information, and say whether you have a photo of yourself available. Most papers now accept articles by e-mail.

Where to submit the article.
Here's a wild guess: You're hoping to publish your article in The New York Times, with The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal as backups. Well, welcome to the club. These and other national publications, such as Newsweek and USA Today, receive a staggering number of submissions, the overwhelming majority of which are rejected. You have a better shot at regional newspapers and, especially, at local papers. Web sites such as "Slate" are also gaining in importance.

David Jarmul, Duke University 2008.



If and when you decided to express your opinions to tens of thousands or even millions of people, check with your local newspaper for their guidelines for submitting op-ed editorials. Almost all local newspapers accept op-ed articles from readers who have opinions on a topical subject. It's always important however to add that you're a member of a particular group, church, or organization. Example: Soulforce.

Y'all keep posting your inspiring thoughts here. If you've got something really important to say, say it! There's plenty of people out there that need to hear it.

Rick

[tdogg]

Excellent advice Rick! Thanks for posting this. I'm going to be sending a letter to the editor, for our local paper. It's limited to 200 words, so I'm also planning on following up with an op-ed piece. Your post is very timely! These are the things we need to do. Get our stories out, make it personal and get the opposition to actually see us and our lives!

[Rick336]

Originally Posted by tdogg

Excellent advice Rick! Thanks for posting this. I'm going to be sending a letter to the editor, for our local paper. It's limited to 200 words, so I'm also planning on following up with an op-ed piece. Your post is very timely! These are the things we need to do. Get our stories out, make it personal and get the opposition to actually see us and our lives!

Tdogg,

That's awesome! Let's do the math.

I googled the population of Sacramento and found that it had over four million people. (407018 to be exact) It's the second largest inland city in California.

The Letters to the Editor section in any newspaper is one of the most read sections of the paper. The Sacramento Bee has a circulation of 279,032 daily and 324,613 Sunday. And this doesn't include the thousands of visitor's to the newspaper's website.

If your letter is printed in the Sunday edition and an average of two people read each Sunday newspaper, that's over 600,000 people. And if only half of those people read you letter, that's 300,000. And if your letter has a positive effect on the opinions of just 10% of those people, that's 30,000 people. (Chances are it will be higher than 10% but I kept the number low just to make a point)

Your words can make a positive impact on the opinions of 30,000 people. And if your letter is followed up by an op-ed article or future letters to the editor, the number of people who's opinion you influence goes up.

The local newspapers are excellent avenues for communication and education to the general public about LGBT equality. With the paper's circulation and website traffic, one letter to the editor or op-ed article can be read by tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people. If news websites pick it up, it could be a million.

I think internet forums are great places for expressing our opinions. But occasionally we all need to take the big leap and let the masses know what's on our mind.


Rick