Taking its name from its traditional position opposite the editorial page of a newspaper, an op-ed is an opinion essay written by an outside contributor. It should have a clear point of view or argument supported by specific evidence. It does not represent the opinions of Wisconsin Right Now, in fact, it may often contradict the opinion of WRN’s editorial board.
What are the guidelines for column submissions?
We only accept pieces that are submitted exclusively to WRN. We do not accept material that has been published on blogs, social media or anywhere else.
Submissions should:
-Be limited to 800 words.
-May not have been submitted to, posted to, or published by any other media.
-Must include the writer’s full name. Anonymous op-eds or op-eds written under pseudonyms will only be considered in rare exceptional circumstances.
-Must include the writer’s home address, email address, and telephone numbers.
-Must disclose any personal or financial interest in the subject at hand.
-Include a short biography, two sentences at most, to run at the end of the column. If you or a business, trade group, or other institution with which you are associated stands to gain financially or in any other way from your column, you should disclose that information to us in detail. In most cases, it should also be included in the body of the piece or in the author’s biographical information.
-Should include links (URLs, not headlines or footnotes) to back up quotes and factual material.
-People featured in columns must be identified by their real, full names.
-By submitting a column to WRN, and agreeing to its publication, authors are granting exclusive rights to the piece to WRN.
-Should be pasted directly into an email and sent to [email protected].
How are op-ed contributions selected?
Among the things we look for are timeliness and newsworthyness, resonance, and freshness of perspective. You don’t need to have special expertise in a topic. However, explaining how your background or experience informs your point of view can make for a more effective op-ed.
When will I hear back about my op-ed submission?
We do our best to read all submissions promptly. If you don’t hear from us within a week, it’s safe to assume we won’t be able to use your op-ed.
Are op-eds edited?
We are careful not to alter a writer’s opinions or “voice,” but all op-eds are edited for clarity and precision of language and for logic of argumentation and organization. They are also fact-checked and copy-edited for grammar and style. We ask contributors to sign off on all changes before we publish a final version.
Are op-eds solicited?
Although we carefully review all unsolicited pieces that are submitted, we also reach out to people we think might have an interesting opinion on a topic in the news — especially when the news is breaking and we’d like to get smart commentary onto the website and into the paper quickly.
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