who are you writing for?
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WHO ARE YOU WRITING FOR? — AN OP-ED TAXONOMY
When submitting op-eds, it is almost always better to pitch the opinion editor directly and
give them a day to pass rather than submitting a completed op-ed to the "opinion@"
email addresses. Most outlets require exclusivity, and using the opinion@ address can put
the piece on a shelf for five days, and the moment can pass.
New York Times
Blue chip, big names, slightly “academic” slant, with lots of pieces by professors. Very
focused on New York and U.S. domestic issues, and big international issues of interest to
U.S. East Coast readers. Audience is U.S. policy makers, civil society.
International Herald Tribune
NYT material but with more slots for international stories, with a focus on Europe. Pieces
run in print edition will also appear on the NYT main web site. Audience is European
policy makers, European civil society
Financial Times
Global financial and business issues with a preference for big names, i.e. George Soros.
Possible target for anticorruption, transparency and national security issues. Small
number of print slots, with more running online only. However, because it is held behind
a paywall, it can limit the exposure of the piece. Audience is global policy people (most
read paper at UN).
Guardian
Prime op-ed spot is “Comment is Free”, with both print/online and online only material
tightly curated by editorial team. Paper has launched U.S. website in effort to expand
U.S. audience. Also runs Guardian Professional communities, including one for law, and
Guardian Development Network, funded by Gates Foundation. Audience is UK civil
society, policy makers and center/left readers, developing U.S. civil society
New Statesman
This is a lefty British current affairs magazine that has recently expanded its online
presence. With this web push, New Statesman is becoming an alternative to Guardian’s
Comment-is-Free. However, its audience is limited to the United Kingdom and if the
story does not reach the home page, op-eds can easily slip between the cracks.
Washington Post
Heavy on DC and US foreign policy, with a preference for DC wonks.
Wall Street Journal
Like the Financial Times, but with a highly conservative US op-ed page. Separate
European and Asian editions seek to compete with FT. Audience is US finance, business
and policy makers
Christian Science Monitor
Syndicated online newspaper that focuses on global affairs and generally takes a
progressive view on issues. A benefit is that stories that appear in CSM will get picked by
a network of community newspapers (a la Project Syndicate)
Project Syndicate
A syndication service for smaller newspapers around the world, which also translates
submissions into a number of languages. Often seen as a dumping ground for pieces that
don’t make the FT or the NYT by big names, which means it has a solid pipeline.
Reuters.com Opinion
They synidicate pieces to newspapers around the world, so potentially very good reach.
But they want big names writing on issues that are in the news.
European Observer/New Europe
The two “industry” weeklies of Brussels and Strasbourg, both focused on European
policy issues.
foreignpolicy.com
High end online tabloid for international affairs, preference flashy high profile issues.
foreignaffairs.com
Like Foreign Policy with a little more starch, preference for declaring macro-trends
aljazeera.com
Very international perspective with sympathy for human rights issues
Huffington Post
Lefty, easy to post with no barrier to entry, but trick is getting visibility. Writing on
timely issues and prominent writers tend to get key placement.