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 War on Soda Pop

We’re famous for embracing the freedom to do the wrong thing, as often as we please.

The Local Beer Boom

Craft breweries have doubled their share of the U.S. market since 2004.

Supersized Liberty

Give me your diabetic, your obese, your uninsured masses.

Shameless Tax Loopholes

Sen. Lindsey Graham says tax-avoiding gimmicks are “American.”

The Lineup: Week of July 9-15, 2012

Daphne Wysham says Washington’s recent storm and heat wave underscored the need for wiser energy choices.

A Perfect and Hot Storm

It’s time to save ourselves from a climate nightmare of our own making.

Year of the Gaffe

We’ve got four more months of this.

Drinking MOX-Laced Lemonade

The government is spending $15 billion to create a nuclear fuel derived from plutonium that we have to bribe companies to take.

Why Women Love John Roberts

The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the health care mandate may not stop the war on women, but it surely feels good to win such a decisive battle.

Pennsylvania’s High-Profile Pedophile Scandals

The Penn State and Philadelphia archdiocese cases are parallel examples of two grand, exalted institutions fleeing their moral responsibilities.

Sabotaging Montana’s Campaign Finance Legacy

The Supreme Court has trumped a century-old state law that made the state a model for campaign finance in America.

Our Troops as Cannon Fodder

Wars of conquest are most popular if they can be made to appear tidy, safe, just, and relatively cost-free.

Mitt’s Gift of Gaffe

How about a disabled American for president?

Fed Up With Obamacare?

Take this health care quiz.

The Lineup: Week of July 2-8, 2012

Stacy Mitchell explains why no one should cheer Walmart’s 50th anniversary — aside from Sam Walton’s billionaire heirs.

Health Care Access Shouldn’t Require Good Luck

For me, the Affordable Care Act means that when I graduate from college, I won’t have to take a job that I hate to get the health care that I need.

Arizona’s Immigration Bind

Not only is SB 1070 mostly illegal, it is offensive, unjust, and truly un-American.

Corporations Score another Supreme Court Victory

The Affordable Care Act ruling won’t heal our ailing health system.

50 Years of Gutting America’s Middle Class

Walmart’s explosive growth has gutted two key pillars of the American middle class: small businesses and well-paid manufacturing jobs.

Save Austerity Measures for the Next Boom

Obama should reject the conservative mantra that equates government and family spending.