Wed, 6 Nov 2002 -- Media Matters No. 18:
Writing an op-ed, part 2

In our last Media Matters, we began the work of drafting an op-ed article. This work can be done any time. Savvy organizations have several "boilerplate" op-ed articles already drafted on their computer, ready to be sent out quickly when something appears in the news which the organization is qualified to comment on.

Drafting the "guts" of your op-ed in advance allows you more time to craft a well-written piece, following the tips offered in our last Media Matters. It also gives you time to get approvals, if your organization requires that an article be "vetted" before being released to the media. And it allows you to fashion several different op-eds.

If your organization does research on disability participation in society, for example, you can create one op-ed about access to the polls for voters with disabilities; another about home and community-based services, yet another about visitability. Then, whenever your local media -- or national media -- covers the issue, you'll be easily able to add a topical lead paragraph and send your op-ed out quickly, remembering that timeliness is crucial.

Polish the op-ed you have drafted. Once you're satisfied with the point you're making, and have worked facts and figures into your piece, go back over it. * Make sure your one point is clear and compelling to readers. * Make sure your facts support it.

• Use simple, short sentences.
• Avoid fancy words and jargon.
• Lop off dangling clauses.
• Eliminate passives (example: Change "This bill was written by Senator Tries Hard" to "Senator Tries Hard wrote this bill.").
• Make your paragraphs short--no more than three sentences each.
• Close on a strong note. A short, powerful last paragraph should drive your point home.

After you're satisfied with your op-ed, give it to someone else -- someone on your staff who's not familiar with the issue, for example -- to make sure it makes sense to a general audience. Remember, you're not writing for your research colleagues, but for people who read the newspaper's editorial pages, and who may not know much about -- or care much about -- your issue. It's your job to make sure they DO care; that the article catches their interest and holds it.

An op-ed is often selected by editors on the basis of whose byline it carries. Whose name can go on your op-ed? Your director's? Your board president's? And which media outlets should receive your op-ed?

We'll cover those topics in our next Media Matters.

More Media Matters