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Opinion Editorial Blog Post

Op-ed literally means Opposite the Editorial Page, and is designed to present a variety of views on news events, government policies, pending legislation and social issues. Op-eds are a great opportunity to reach opinion leaders and “influentials” with messages important to your organization. Op-eds are short and to the point, often limited to 200 to 750 words. The basic structure of an Op-ed is:

HEADLINE-five to six words that express the key message or point of view.

LEAD PARAGRAPH-Catch the reader’s attention with 35 to 40 words

BODY OF TEXT-five or six paragraphs to make your case including rationale, facts, statistics, and quotes from experts.

CLOSING PARAGRAPH-call to action, tell readers what you want them to do with the information

SHORT BIO-one sentence on the writer.

ASSIGNMENT #8 – Using the organization/company for which you wrote the original backgrounder-Assignment #1 OR write an op-ed about an issue related to COVID-19 that is important to college students and you believe is treating college students unfairly. For example, making students move home for the rest of the semester, moving all classes online only, rescheduling graduation ceremonies, etc. Write an op-ed submission for the Washington Post. Follow the guidelines below and use the questions from the Washington Post Op-Ed submission form to submit your op-ed.

What’s an op-ed?

Taking its name from its traditional position opposite the editorial page of a newspaper, an op-ed is an opinion essay written by a staff columnist or an outside contributor. It should have a clear point of view or argument supported by specific evidence. It does not represent the opinions of The Washington Post — in fact, it may often contradict the opinion of The Post’s Editorial Board.

What are the guidelines for op-ed submissions?

Submissions should be limited to 800 words. We consider only completed articles and cannot commit to, or provide guidance on, article proposals. Op-eds may not have been submitted to, posted to or published by any other media. They must include the writer’s full name — anonymous op-eds or op-eds written under pseudonyms will not be considered. They also must include the writer’s home address, email address and telephone numbers. Additionally, we ask that writers disclose any personal or financial interest in the subject at hand.

How are op-ed contributions selected?

The Post receives hundreds of submissions a day and on most days can accommodate only a handful of outside contributions in print and online. Among the things we look for are timeliness (is it pegged to something in the news?), resonance (is it something that will interest Post readers?) and freshness of perspective (is it an argument we haven’t heard many times before?). You don’t need to have special expertise in a topic. But explaining how your background or experience informs your point of view can make for a more effective op-ed. You also don’t need to have an important title — and having an important title doesn’t mean we’ll publish your op-ed. In fact, because we realize that senators, business leaders, heads of state and the like have access to various platforms where they can express their views, we hold them to a particularly high standard when considering whether to publish them in The Post.

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?

Our editors 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 and may be adjusted to fit the space available in the newspaper. We ask contributors to sign off on all changes before we publish a final version on the website or op-ed page.

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.

Washington Post Op-Ed Submission Form

Author’s Name

Name of submitter (If the person submitting the op-ed is not the author, please indicate that here.)

Contact email address

Contact phone number (including area code)

Subject

Comments (Any additional contact details, cover letter or relevant information should be included here.)

Text of your submission (Maximum length: 800 words)