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

Colombia Free Trade Deal Could Boost Cocaine Exports

There’s only one Colombian industry that can potentially employ workers who would lose their job in the wake of a free trade deal.

Bachmann May Surprise Us Yet

Republican primary voters like weird, and when it comes to weird, Rep. Michele Bachmann tops the list.

Are You Ready for a Brave New World of Food?

Despite the “yuck” factor, many bugs pack a protein punch that’s healthier than steak and far lighter on the environment.

America’s Housing Paradox

There’s money to bail out the banks but not to bail out the homeless.

Arab Spring Forecast

It’s raining bullets in Libya, with cold hearts prevailing in Oman.

The Lineup: Week of April 25-May 1, 2011

William A. Collins puts the Libya intervention in context and a cartoon depicts a retirement home for dictators.

Same Old from the Nuclear Gang after Fukushima

Wishful thinking about energy generation has apparently induced both temporary blindness and long-term amnesia.

America Needs a Single Payer Health Care System

Even if Obama’s overhaul works as planned, there will still be 23 million Americans lacking health insurance in 2019.

Want to Cut Federal Spending? Go Where the Money Is.

We can trim the Pentagon’s budget without sacrificing national security.

Squandering Our Tax Dollars and Ocean Resources

Factory farms for fish are a growing problem that don’t deserve Washington’s support.

Why are we the Tea Party’s Hostages?

Our deficit is manageable if we’re smart about it.

From Democracy to Plutocracy

There’s nothing conservative about Gov. Walker’s autocratic power grab.

Retired Dictators

Welcome, Muammar.

Libya: It’s All about the Oil

When there’s no oil, there’s no intervention.

The Lineup: Week of April 18-24, 2011

Our Earth Day special edition features three commentaries and a cartoon addressing Obama’s “dirty energy” policy and the BP oil disaster, as well as the dangers of nuclear weapons and reactors.

Obama’s Dirty Energy Fixation

As radioactivity levels continue to spike in Fukushima, Obama’s support for nuclear power is unwavering.

Learning from the BP Oil Disaster

Although every major oil company operating in deep water around the world had guaranteed that it could handle a blowout, not a single one knew what to do.

Volunteer Writers May Be Part of Journalism’s Future

HuffPo writers need not only a platform–but cash as well.

A Year after Arizona’s Debacle, Congress Considers a Better Immigration Law

The SUCCEED Act would help immigrants integrate into American society.

Finally, Obama Leads on the Deficit

In 1993, President Bill Clinton and a Democratic Congress raised taxes and lowered the deficit, at which point the economy took off and produced a budget surplus for the final four years of his presidency.