Headline News, Science Views II (1993) / Chapter Skim
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AFTERWORD
AFTERWORD
Pages 227-236
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From page 229... ...
This article discusses how to get an op-ed article published. The authors in this book, few of whom had experience writing op-ed articles, succeeded in crafting stories that were accepted for publication by numerous papers across the country.
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From page 230... ...
Writes Richard Liefer of The Chicago Tribune: "An op-ed page ought to be a place where a wide range of voices can speak to the issues of the day; where controversy can blossom or consensus wilt; where a marginal crackbrain can make a reader sputter over the morning coffee; where four polished paragraphs can bring tears."3 "Particularly as more cities have only one newspaper, op-ed pages serve to ensure that a wide range of voices has an outlet that is not filtered through a reporter's word processor," concurs Donna Korando, commentary page editor of The St. Louis PostDispatch.4 Contrary to what some would-be authors believe, editors are hungry for new authors.
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From page 231... ...
Kathleen Quinn, who edited articles on The New York Times op-ed page for several years, observed that "Most newspaper editors would rather be stranded on a desert island with nothing but a list of the active ingredients in Sinutab to read than so much as glance at another piece of academic prose." Quinn, who says "academic writing stinks," differs from her counterparts at other papers only in her bluntness.8 Academics who hear these criticisms sometimes respond by accusing editors of wanting to sensationalize or trivialize complex arguments. As Trudi Spigel, who has overseen a successful op-ed service at Washington University in St.
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From page 232... ...
As one media critic observed, "Pundit politics are no less corrupt and demeaning than any other kind of politics. It is less crucial to be conversant with the history and culture of any particular field than with the day's headlines in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journall, and the networks."~° Practical Guidelines Here are some basic rules for placing op-ed articles successfully: · Track the news and jump at opportunities.
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From page 233... ...
If you are a physicist listening for signals from alien life forms, tell us the funny questions people ask you. Tracie Sweeney, director of the Brown University op-ed service, says her most successful articles have been from professors who dropped the persona of the dispassionate expert and simply described their own experiences, feelings and views.
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From page 234... ...
Newspaper editors despair of weighty articles called "thumb-suckers" and yearn for pieces filled with spirit, grace and humor. Readers seek to be entertained and to learn something in the bargain.
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From page 235... ...
An added advantage of this approach is that many editors prefer local authors to give their pages a hometown feel. Some papers, such as The Hartford Courant and The Fort Worth StarTeJegram, now supplement their own staff-written and syndicated material almost exclusively with locally generated articles.
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From page 236... ...
To complicate matters, an editor who is personally interested in science may feel the owed page has carried too many science stories recently. He or she now may be on the lookout for a commentary on teen culture.
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