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December 28, 2007

How to Write a Local Citizen's Column

Are the local columns of citizens getting worse, or am I just getting too picky? Perhaps, as with so many things, the truth may be found somewhere in the "middle" of another simplistic dichotomy.

I recently wrote about how to write a letter to the editor. And I had a letter published in the Springfield News-Leader recently complaining about a local column in order to illustrate the silliness of dividing the world into left versus right by local columnists and the paper's encouragement of same. Today, I want to give my tips for writing a good, local citizen's column.

(Caveat: If you're the kind of person who thinks your side is always right and the other side is always wrong, stop reading here. You're too stupid to understand what I'm about to suggest.)

How to write a local citizen's column:

1. Follow the guidelines offered by the newspaper regarding length, style, tone, etc. If the style is to run a mug shot, provide one in the .jpg format. And please make it a nice photo. Spend some money if you have to. "Mug shot" is the colloquial term for it; the paper doesn't really want something that looks like you've been arrested.

2. Consider learning a little rhetoric. I'm not talking about the pejorative understanding of that term (i.e. empty and evasive language). I'm talking about the art of persuasion. Rhetoric will teach you how to discover your arguments, how to arrange your arguments effectively, and how to make cogent, effective, and stylistically pleasing points. One of the worst things about local columns is how poorly written so many of them are. I think smooth writing is within the ability of anyone willing to put in a little effort. So put in a little effort.

3. Just because the paper has a title for the column (e.g. "From the Left" or "From the Right") doesn't mean you have to stoop to the level of blind partisanship. No one, except other cranks, cares about your opinion of godless liberal traitors or ignorant conservative fascists. While "left" and "right" are simplistic and divisive, we can generally understand that positions on civic issues may be roughly identified with these political labels. The purpose of your column, however, should be to help move civic conversation forward, not simply bash the other side.

4. Have a point; make a point. A point is different from an opinion. For example: You may hold the opinion that teachers are underpaid. No one cares. But you might have a good point about how to correct what you believe is a problem. Two of the biggest mistakes you can make are 1) not having a point that follows from your opinion, or 2) making more than one point.

5. Be a journalist. If you're submitting a column to the local newspaper then you are a journalist. Will you be a good journalist or a poor journalist? A good journalist reports, i.e. does the necessary work to discover the facts. A good journalist presents facts as fairly and accurately as possible and tells readers how they know the facts are the facts. Good opinion journalism is built upon good reporting. Otherwise, you're just another crank with an opinion. (Sadly, there are far too many professional opinion journalists who are simply cranks with opinions.)



Posted by acline at December 28, 2007 11:51 AM | | Spotlight