OtherWords

OtherWords is a free, non-profit editorial service published by the Institute for Policy Studies. Each week, OtherWords distributes a batch of publication-ready op-eds, along with a cartoon, to thousands of readers — including hundreds of editors of small and medium-sized newspapers. Each year, these op-eds appear thousands of times in local newspapers throughout the country, as well as in a growing number of online outlets. We believe that strong social movements need informed citizens, and that people learn best from conversations in their own communities — neighbor-to-neighbor. But between a consolidated, corporate-controlled mass media and a deafening social media echo chamber, it’s gotten harder than ever to have these conversations, especially in smaller communities with few local media options.

Through OtherWords, we’re able to provide millions of readers in America’s heartland with intelligent commentary on a range of progressive causes — on climate, inequality, war and peace, the movements for race and gender justice, and beyond. Through the trusted local papers that use our service, we reach readers in red, blue, and purple states alike with well-written, timely commentaries on the national issues that affect their lives. To read our work or get information about publishing it in your community, check out OtherWords.org.

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Latest Work

Fewer Nukes? Turn Back the Doomsday Clock

A nuclear reductions treaty would greatly enhance American security.

Robbing Grandma to Reward Wall Street

Don’t ask ordinary people, particularly women, to pay the piper with reduced retirement benefits.

Change Can Be Tougher Than Hope

The Obama administration can learn from its first year’s setbacks to guide the country in the right direction in 2010.

Arming Yemen against al-Qaeda

The last thing America needs is to help another Middle Eastern government to become a more effective military dictatorship.

Stop the Merger Merry-Go-Round, We Need to Get Off

Merger wheeling and dealing will cost workers and consumers billions.

Reporters Should Tell Us the Truth about Global Warming

At this point, the scientific consensus is so overwhelming that journalists need to assert it as a fact.

Haiti: Earthquakes and Neo-Colonialism

The exact shape of Haiti’s dismal future remains uncertain.

Shouldn’t ‘Local’ Businesses Be Local?

The movement has been phenomenally popular with consumers who like the flavor and personality of local enterprises, and the fact that their consumer dollars stay in their community

Race and the Rapture

There are three subjects we can’t discuss rationally: Israel, Cuba, and race.

The State of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream in 2010

Racial inequality is a reality we still need to address four decades after MLK’s assassination.

Eight Years of Guantanamo: What’s Changed?

The Obama administration promised to close the infamous detention center but delivered more of the same.

Urban Food Deserts Threaten Children’s Health

Access to nutritious food is a matter of social justice.

Fly the Unfriendly Skies, if You Dare

I blamed Joe Lieberman, but that’s just me.

It’s Time to Rein in Agribusiness

We may have the first chance in decades for every level of our government to seriously address the grievous effects agribusiness monopolization on consumers, farmers, and our environment.

How About We Call It Quits On Empire?

In the end, some empires are defeated militarily, while others just sort of whimper away in decay.

Let’s Chuck the Bottle

Chances are that your city’s tap water, which is inspected several times daily, is at least as pure (and often more so) than the pricey stuff.

My Cat is No Fat Cat

My cat is on the pudgy side, but she is nothing like our titans of finance. Let’s stop maligning our feline friends by comparing them to greedy, evil Wall Street execs.

Iran Sanctions are Counterproductive

Gasoline sanctions strengthen hardliners’ arguments and undercut moderates’ calls for reform.

What If We Were Judged by Our Jails?

The American prison population quadrupled in just the last 25 years.

Health-Care Reform Won’t Cure this Sick System

Fewer than half of U.S. workers get paid sick days.