How to Write for Policy Audiences
Download as PPTX, PDF1 like1,394 views
This document provides guidance on writing op-eds and policy pieces. It emphasizes that writing should be brief, credible, and clear. Key points include: - An op-ed should concisely communicate a single argument and be targeted towards a general audience. It should reflect an opinion rather than summarize news. - Brevity is important, with recommended lengths between 500-800 words. Shorter pieces are preferred if the information can be adequately conveyed. - Arguments must be backed by credible evidence from reliable sources. Both quantitative and qualitative sources should be cited or attributed. - Writing should be interesting, creative, and easy for the typical reader to understand. Jargon and vague language should be avoided
How to Write for Policy Audiences
- 2. Writing has only one rule The reader is always right. • Writing is irrelevant if not read (and sometimes dangerous if misread). • New media and online sources means we are inundated with content. Just because you are published does not mean what you write will be read. • Readers are lazy and fickle. (I know I am.) • In an overcrowded marketplace, readers reward brevity, credibility, creativity, and clarity.
- 3. An op-ed is an argument • It should reflect an opinion. It is NOT a news summary. • It should target a general audience. It is NOT a research paper or report. • Brevity: It should communicate one – and only one – argument or thesis • The argument must be credible, creative, and clear: • Credibility – compile the relevant supporting evidence • Creativity – draw original conclusions through analysis • Clarity – effectively communicate your argument
- 4. Brevity: Shorter is better • “More is not better if less is adequate” • U.S. Declaration of Independence: 1323 words • Atlantic Charter: 368 words • Gettysburg Address: 271 words • Suggested op-ed lengths for the New York Times is 750 words. • Some newspapers have an upper limit of 700 or 750 words • No op-ed should be over 800 words.
- 5. Credibility: Back it up • What is the data that supports your argument? • What are your sources? Are they reliable? • Be sure to cite your sources or attribute your data. • Yes, it is possible to plagiarize yourself. • Quantitative data: databases, reported numbers, polls • Qualitative: firsthand experience, historical or journalistic narratives, official statements and quotes
- 6. Creativity: Be interesting • Read more than you write. A lot more. Situate your position in public discourse. • Compile or uncover data that nobody else has. • Share experiences that your readers might not have had. • Conceive of novel ways of framing an issue, e.g. “Global Swing States” or “responsible stakeholder” • Identify little-known, but important, variables. • Important: Go against conventional wisdom. What would you rather read? • “The earth is round, and I can prove it.” • or “The earth is flat, and I can prove it.”
- 7. Clarity: Make it easy to read • Avoid jargon. Think of what your typical reader already knows. (Arab Spring vs. Three-party talks or People’s Bank of China) • Explain unfamiliar acronyms. (EU, NATO vs. QE2, CENTCOM) • Contextualize vague terms. (“Liberal,” “socialism”) • Clichés are never, ever good writing. • Titles can be clever, but should also be search engine optimized.
- 8. Avoid fancy or vague language “As for its successor, the ultramontane Sunni Hamas, and its even more chiliastic Shia half-ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah, they do not want any accommodation or compromise, and they do not pretend to.” “What will finally distinguish the new middle-class audience of the nineteenth century from its radical antagonists and the mass public’s fascination with commodities is the activated interpretive mind in its power to reincarnate everyday life: to form a ‘philosophy’ of one’s encounter with the street and the city, with fashion, with social class, with intellectual systems and the mind’s own unpredictable acts.”
- 9. Beware of Fallacies • Correlation is not causation ( “is caused by” “is related to”) • Probability is not inevitability (“will” “could” or “may”) • If something is not false, it is not necessarily true • A consequence does not prove a cause • If everyone believes something, it is not necessarily true • Unreliable sources do not falsify arguments • Don’t assume inevitability in hindsight • Repeating an argument does not make it any truer Your argument should never, ever be absolute. (See what I did there?)
- 10. Finally, check – and double-check, (and triple-check…) – your piece Simple mistakes damage your credibility as an expert • Quotation marks should only be used for exact quotes. • Introduce individuals with their full name and correct title (President vs. Prime Minister). • Double-check your sources. Use original sources if possible. Remember: news reports are often wrong. • Use commonly-accepted spellings of proper nouns (Morsi not Mursi or Morsy, Osama not Usama). • Be consistent (i.e. please don’t use “EU” and “E.U.” in the same piece)
- 11. Possible Steps • Read. Analyze. Gather evidence. • Read more. Identify your original insight or contribution. • Write. Summarize opposing arguments. State your thesis. Consolidate evidence in separate paragraphs. Guide the reader using transitions. Provide counterarguments and/or recommendations. Tie it all together with a conclusion. • Review. Write a hook and suggested title. Edit. Fact check.