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

The Art of Inequality

Monumental gifts to museums are coinciding with the erosion of arts programs at the nation’s public schools.

This Week in OtherWords: April 10, 2013

David Elliot highlights some of the hidden costs of the nation’s supersized military might.

Shouldn’t We Base Our Tax Policy on More than Hunches?

The latest economic evidence supports raising taxes on the richest Americans.

Under-Taxing the Rich Is Uncivilized

We all pay for those cuts down the road.

A Wall Street Powerhouse Attorney Talks Sense

Taxes can do more than simply raise revenue.

Transplanting Taxes from Corporations to the Rest of Us

American taxpayers are increasingly picking up the tab for unpaid corporate taxes.

This Week in OtherWords: Tax Day Special Edition

Sam Paltrow-Krulwich talks about the “gay tax” her family must pay until the nation fully embraces marriage equality.

A Plateful of Justice

The people who wash your dishes and the folks who cook and serve your food deserve better.

This Week in OtherWords: March 27, 2013

Jill Richardson makes the case for raising chickens in your backyard and Sam Pizzigati discusses Ford’s worker-financed bailout.

The Military-Industrial Threat to the Nation’s Well-Being

It’s time for some serious spring cleaning at the Pentagon.

Inequality Is Hurting Us All

If the levels of greater income equality of 1968 still prevailed today, the poorest fifth of Marylanders would be earning twice what they take home now.

This Week in OtherWords: February 27, 2013

Jo Comerford likens the imminent across-the-board budget cuts to a truck careening toward a brick wall.

A Global Spotlight on Voter Suppression

Heinous schemes to limit the right to vote keep appearing in state legislatures.

What Post-Racial America?

It will take more than President Barack Obama’s tenure to vanquish American prejudice and racial injustice.

This Week in OtherWords: February 20, 2013

Donald Kaul puts the brutality of drone warfare into historical context.

This Week in OtherWords: February 13, 2013

John Cavanagh explains why President Obama’s State of the Union address falls short.

Enough is Enough

Tomorrow is V-Day, a global mobilization to end violence against women and girls.

No Game-Changer

Obama’s State of the Union address nudged the debate in the right direction, but not far enough.

This Week in OtherWords: February 6, 2013

Jill Richardson explains what’s wrong with most of the roses that populate our Valentine’s Day bouquets.

This Week in OtherWords: January 30, 2013

We’re mixing food and politics.