Opinion Pages are Changing -- Here's Why it Matters to You

I admit to a mild panic attack when I heard The New York Times is eliminating op-eds from its pages.

But my heart rate quickly returned to its routine thumping after I gained a better understanding of the move.

The Times’ will replace the term op-ed with “guest essay.” Opinion editor Kathleen Kingsbury explained that the move was driven by a belief that terms like “Op-Ed” are, “by their nature, clubby newspaper jargon; we are striving to be far more inclusive in explaining how and why we do our work.”

Kingsbury went on to say that research sessions revealed readers immediately grasped the term guest essay and “intuitively understood what it said about the relationship between the writer and The Times.”

The bottom line: Times’ editors are taking steps to what they believe will make the opinion section more inclusive and welcoming to a wider range of voices, some of whom traditionally faced barriers to being heard.

While the former journalist in me remains a bit conflicted on the name change, if it helps open to more diverse and underrepresented opinions being shared and read more frequently and broadly, I’m for it.

Only time will tell if other newspapers will follow the Times’ lead. What I can say with confidence is that the public forum to share opinions that media outlets provide is more important than ever.

No doubt, social media has gifted a bullhorn to anyone with workable thumbs and a smartphone -- a fact that can be both empowering and, at times, alarming.

Yet I believe this reality has only added to the credibility and value of vetted opinion pieces published in traditional and online publications.

Opinion pieces must adhere to certain standards to be accepted for publication. And generally those standards focus on author credibility, originality of thought, and how the piece adds a unique perspective to an ongoing conversation or an under-explored issue.

It’s not a perfect system, but it does help us sort through the crush of information we’re bombarded with daily and focus on what editors at one publication thought worthy of amplification. And, as I have written previously, there are myriad hidden benefits of writing op-eds beyond the ultimate goal of publication.

Whether they’re called op-eds, guest essays or some other term, opinion pieces remain an important way to share your unique perspective.

If you want a deeper dive into how to write, pitch and promote an op-ed or guest essay :) -- download our free e-book, the Op-ed Option.