Veteran journalist Chris Kertesz of Chicago has written op eds, letters to the editor, annual reports and the State of America’s Libraries Report for the American Library Association. This blog contribution offers tips on how to be successful in these endeavors. - Contributed by Mark Gould, Director, Public Information Office.
Chris Kertesz has been writing and editing for more than four decades, as a newspaper copy editor (Detroit Free Press), a newsletter editor for the state public health departments of Michigan and Florida, and, for the past 20 years, as a writer for a range of not-for-profit agencies.
By Chris Kertesz
Op eds are a lot of work, an investment of significant time and effort (as you’ll see below) that may or may not pay off with publication and may or may not accomplish your goal of influencing public opinion.
So why bother?
What you stand to gain
Informed debate in a public forum is the lifeblood of democracy. Newspapers and other publications usually go beyond reporting events and provide such a forum in their editorial and op ed (from “opposite the editorial”) pages. Publications use op ed articles to give people with different points of view an opportunity to make their case and to ensure that their readers have access to diverse opinions on topics of importance to them.
Many newspapers actively seek outside experts to put local, state, national, and international events in perspective for their readers on the op ed page, and most accept a limited number of unsolicited op ed articles from contributors who demonstrate a grasp of the issue(s) and make an effective case for their point of view.
The op ed page is a high-profile forum. Conventional news articles report the facts and aim to be objective. Op ed pieces are also based on facts, but because they appear where they do, it is understood that the writer is marshaling those facts in support of an argument. Op ed pieces offer the public an opportunity to read and evaluate these arguments in a thoughtful way that is often not possible in the heat of a government hearing or sound-bite battle in the news.
That’s why op ed pieces are apt to be read and considered by members of the community who are in a position to influence public opinion - or help shape next year’s library funding. And this is why an occasional op ed piece is a valuable part of your arsenal of arguments:
· Publishing an op ed piece is your opportunity to respond to a specific attack or situation. Has your library been criticized for some policy? Has someone questioned the value of what you are doing? Is your funding in jeopardy? Most librarians can answer “yes” to at least one of these questions. An op ed piece is your chance to push back persuasively by making your case quickly and cogently and without interruption.
· An op ed piece is your turn on the soapbox. Even if you are not responding to criticism, an op ed piece is your chance to speak directly to the public and specifically to those who are in a position to help you by influencing public opinion or your prospects for funding. An op ed can in fact be a response to a positive development - a follow-up to a positive story about a library program, for example, or an elaboration of the positive aspects of something like a new grant or service. You may not be looking for a specific result, but an op ed can have a valuable but hard-to-measure long-term positive impact.
· Finally, writing an op ed helps you organize your thoughts on an important issue. The exercise of marshaling your facts and arguments to make your case or respond to an attack will leave you in better shape for the next round (and there will be a next round). You will have a firmer grasp of the issues. You’ll have arguments ready to modify and roll out on another occasion. Perhaps most important, you will have been through the rigorous process of preparing your op ed piece - flexed your writing muscles, so to speak. No matter what the fate of the article you submit, the process of writing, done right, is always fruitful in this way.
Rules to refer back to
Here are some basics to get you started.
Before you write, read. Many publications offer guidelines on length and other aspects of writing that are designed to help you shape an acceptable submission. These are usually available on the publication’s Web site. Keep them handy and refer back to them as you write. You should also spend some time studying the publication in which you hope to publish your op ed. Check out the competition by reading the op eds that have been published and figuring out what they have in common. This is a thoughtful process; don’t rush it. You have a lot of competition for this space, and one of the quickest ways to lose the contest is to be disqualified because you haven’t done your homework.
Identify your audience (this is Rule One for any kind of writing). Whose opinion are you trying to influence? Whose support are you looking for? Speak to them about issues that matter to them, and speak in language they’ll understand. If you stray into areas they don’t care about, you’ll lose them. If you address them in highfalutin terms, you’ll come off as trying to sound superior. If you dumb it down too much, it may sound condescending.
Move quickly. Most op eds are written in response to a current development in the world or a recent article or letter - or op ed - in the target publication. The longer you wait to respond, the less timely your piece becomes and the less likely it will see the light of day. Be thoughtful and thorough, but don’t dither.
“Write tight!” Write simple, declarative sentences. Choose your words with care. Make every word tell. Avoid long paragraphs. Use quotations only when they are more effective than paraphrasing, and avoid partial quotes. As my city editor used to bark at me, about a half-century ago: “Write tight!” (More reading homework: William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, available in many editions. You’ll find no better guide to good writing.)
Speak with authority. The op ed should appear under the byline of a leader of your organization - CEO or president of the board, for example, or director of communications. That allows you to speak with authority. If you don’t happen to be that leader (as is often the case), work closely with her or him to ensure that the two of you (and perhaps others) agree on the message you want to convey.
Get the reader’s attention. Remember that this is not an essay or a term paper or a legal brief (oxymoron); no one is required to read it. That means you have to get people’s attention quickly and arrange your material in a way that keeps them engaged. There are several ways to start an op ed. The safest is probably to summarize, briefly, the issue and your view of it, then to list your arguments succinctly and in logical order, and then, at the end, to restate your conclusion. You can also begin by describing the personal experience of someone directly affected by the issue you’re dealing with (anecdotal lede), but the story has to be relevant, compelling, and tellable in very few words. (Homework: Find an op ed or two that you thought were particularly effective, and try to figure out what made them so.)
Stick to your subject. You are probably writing about something you feel strongly about, and your piece may concern one aspect of a complex situation. Don’t get carried away - no digressions, please!
Be positive. Only your partisans will cheer if you spend a lot of time running down the opposition. Don’t waste your time preaching to the choir. Explain to the world why your position is the one to adopt rather than why the other guy is misinformed (or worse).
Listen to yourself. Good writing is conversational. Read your writing aloud, to yourself and/or to a colleague. If it doesn’t sound convincing, it probably isn’t, and your colleague may be able to tell you why. No thin skins allowed in this business: once you put a word down on page or screen, it is no longer part of you. If you take suggestions or criticism personally, you are giving up a great resource.
Just the facts, Ma’am (or Sir). Op eds are sometimes called “opinion pieces,” but you’ll do better if you stick to the facts. Pick the few facts that will help you make your strongest case, and then make that case forcefully. Be selective; don’t overdo it - too many facts will make your readers’ eyes glaze over. Use humor sparingly and sarcasm even more so - the boomerang potential here is enormous.
. . . And make sure they’re facts. And then check your facts and your grammar and spelling, including the spelling of people’s names. This is vital. One error will undermine your credibility, and if you misspell someone’s name, you have acquired a lifelong detractor. (Hint: Ask a colleague or friend to run these checks for you; we all make errors, and we all tend to overlook our own errors.)
More don’ts. Avoid clichés. Avoid jargon. Avoid fancy words. Avoid long sentences. Avoid the passive. Don’t try to be cute. And use exclamation marks sparingly!!!
Letters to the editor
Letters to the editor are all of the above, boiled down to a few sentences. Timeliness and brevity are paramount. The competition for space is intense, and a letter that discusses a current issue or responds to a recent news article or op ed succinctly is a stronger contender for that space.
Again, do your homework:
· Read letters to the editor that have appeared in the publication you are writing to. What traits of writing do they have in common?
· Read the publication’s guidelines, if it offers them. The New York Times, for example, generally publishes only letters that respond to something that has appeared in the newspaper, while other papers open up the forum to a broader range of topics.
· Follow the publication’s letter style, which varies from one publication to another. This will show that you are a regular reader and will make your letter incrementally more attractive to an overburdened editor than one that needs a rewrite.
Thomas Feyer, who runs the letters to the editor section of the New York Times, offers these tips to letter to the editor writers:
“Every day at least 1,000 submissions, and often far more, pour in to the letters office by e-mail, fax or postal mail. We print an average of 15 letters a day. That means the competition is intense, to say the least. Many, many worthy letters never see print, and those that do cannot reflect all the topics of interest to readers.
“What qualifies as a publishable letter to the editor? The answer is necessarily highly subjective. We are looking for a national (and often international) conversation about the issues of the day - big and not so big - as well as fresh, bright writing that stands out through its own charm. Timeliness is a must; brevity will improve your chances; stylishness and wit will win my heart…”
Feyer also writes: “Contrary to the impression of some readers, the letters page, unlike the editorials with which we share a home, does not have a political coloration of its own. We are eager to print all points of view - liberal, conservative and anything in between - expressed according to the rules of civil discourse. You are free to agree or disagree with the opinions expressed in the editorials, columns and Op-Ed articles, or with the articles in the news columns. We seek robust debate and strive for balance.
“We welcome letters from all quarters, but especially from ordinary readers who have no titles after their names. Of course, we publish many writers speaking with authority in their areas of expertise, and letters from officeholders responding to criticism in these pages…
“A few important ground rules: Letters should be kept to about 150 words. (Not enough space? Well, the Gettysburg Address was only about 250 words.) They should be exclusive to The Times and respond to an article that appeared in the newspaper in the last week. In fact, writing by the next day is a good idea. Like other sections of the newspaper, the letters page seeks to be timely, so even a very good letter that arrives three days later may get passed over…”
Whether you are writing a letter to Mr. Feyer at the New York Times or the newspaper that serves your community, keep this in mind. If at first you don’t succeed in getting your letter published, by all means try; try again - but not too often. A reputation as a judicious contributor will serve you well.
To be continued.
Tags: PR tools, State of America's Libraries Report by admin
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Last weekend, 11-year-old Oscar Youngquist of Racine, Wis. received a personalized tour of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and it was all made possible by a trip to the Racine Public Library.
As the grand-prize winner, Youngquist, who is a Chicago Cubs fan, traveled with his father, Grant, to Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame’s World Series Gala on Saturday, Oct. 25. He also received a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum and archives, which houses such iconic baseball artifacts such as Bath Ruth’s bat.