Spray And Pray Op-Eds?
February 4, 2010 10:03 PM Subscribe
Should I send my op-ed to multiple newspapers at once? Or is this practice frowned upon.
I've written an op-ed related to an upcoming national anniversary.
Is it acceptable to send the op-ed to multiple newspapers at once? Or, is it the social norm to send the op-ed to only one publication at a time?
I've written an op-ed related to an upcoming national anniversary.
Is it acceptable to send the op-ed to multiple newspapers at once? Or, is it the social norm to send the op-ed to only one publication at a time?
Whatever you do, don't lie about your name or where you live. Right now papers are gunshy because of a recent scandal, and if they have even the slightest suspicion that you're flying a false flag, your editorial will get tossed in the round file.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:30 PM on February 4, 2010
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:30 PM on February 4, 2010
Not sending the op-ed to multiple papers in the same market is fairly common advice; many editors don't like knowing you're sleeping with other newspapers. FAIR has suggested guidelines for sending letters and op-eds; their "How to Write an Op-Ed" section is probably valid here:
Feel free to send it to papers far from where you live, but avoid sending it to two newspapers in the same "market." (Sending to the San Francisco Examiner and the Seattle Times is OK, but not to the Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle.) "National" newspapers like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor and USA Today generally do not accept op-eds that are also being offered to other papers. But you can easily submit the same piece to five or ten local dailies in different regions—greatly increasing your chances of being published.
Assure the op-ed editor in your cover letter that the piece has not been submitted to any other paper in their market. If, on the other hand, you sent it to only one paper, let that paper know you are offering them an exclusive...Be prepared to shorten and re-submit your article as a letter to the editor in case it does not get accepted as an op-ed.
posted by mediareport at 10:41 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
Feel free to send it to papers far from where you live, but avoid sending it to two newspapers in the same "market." (Sending to the San Francisco Examiner and the Seattle Times is OK, but not to the Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle.) "National" newspapers like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor and USA Today generally do not accept op-eds that are also being offered to other papers. But you can easily submit the same piece to five or ten local dailies in different regions—greatly increasing your chances of being published.
Assure the op-ed editor in your cover letter that the piece has not been submitted to any other paper in their market. If, on the other hand, you sent it to only one paper, let that paper know you are offering them an exclusive...Be prepared to shorten and re-submit your article as a letter to the editor in case it does not get accepted as an op-ed.
posted by mediareport at 10:41 PM on February 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
For every letter to the editor I've written and had published I've had to include a statement to the effect that the letter is an exclusive.
posted by Pollomacho at 4:30 AM on February 5, 2010
posted by Pollomacho at 4:30 AM on February 5, 2010
The key is not to send it to competing markets at the same time. However, if it is a time sensitive piece, I would wait only a day or two after submitting it, follow up with a phone call to the editorial department, and if you don't get the answer you want, then move on. They are likely to notify you before running the piece anyway, so if it is due to run elsewhere you can disclose that info then.
posted by the foreground at 9:27 AM on February 5, 2010
posted by the foreground at 9:27 AM on February 5, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mmf at 10:10 PM on February 4, 2010