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

Gubernatorial Goofiness in Maine

Gov. LePage’s rampage includes busting unions, rolling back child labor laws, gutting programs for the middle class and poor, and raising the retirement age for the state’s workers

Obama’s Nuclear GPS

The nuclear industry is driving us all off a cliff.

Nukes: You Can Never Turn Your Back

The best way to protect ourselves from deadly radioactivity is to get rid of the stuff altogether.

The Lineup: Week of April 11-17, 2011

John Feffer argues that the war on Libya shouldn’t translate into yet another budget increase for the Pentagon.

Libya War Is No Pentagon Lifeline

Let’s shrink our military footprint.

World War II’s Invisible Wounds

Mythologizing and romanticizing World War II ignores its complex legacy.

News Flash: Americans Aren’t Anti-Worker

Polls have found Wisconsin Gov. Walker’s union-busting tactics to be widely unpopular despite the major media’s presumption that the opposite would be true.

Islamophobia is Un-American

A small coterie of highly vocal activists, using angry rhetoric and xenophobic propaganda, are stoking this rage.

NPR’s Stupid Situation

A string of high-profile blunders and trumped-up stings are endangering a key public and cultural institution.

Mickey Mouse Wage Hike

Why don’t Disney’s animators, performers, and other hard-working employees get a 45 percent increase in their pay, like the company’s CEO?

Torturers? Who, Us?

It’s time President Obama stopped protecting our war criminals.

Diagnosing a Military-Industrial Complex

What’s wrong with me, Doc?

The Lineup: Week of April 4-10, 2011

This week, we’ve got three Tax Day op-eds and a cartoon by Khalil Bendib lampooning GOP budget priorities.

Hey Congress, Want $400 Billion in New Annual Revenue?

Government must stop doling out ever-larger tax breaks to the superrich and vast corporations.

Fair Taxation Requires More Brackets at the Top

Some of the most affluent Americans actually pay lower effective tax rates than many middle class Americans.

Delivering for America, Six Days a Week

The Postal Service is actually making a profit.

Finally: Fairer Tax Reporting

At last, investors can’t just fake the numbers on their tax returns when they reap capital gains.

Detroit’s Ruins

It’s not only cruel but stupid to let a noble city like Detroit simply fade away.

Japan’s Earthquake Jolts Shreveport

Globalization’s “efficiency’ is nothing but a cross-your-fingers fantasy.

‘Stability’ a Fig Leaf for Dictatorship

Hillary Clinton speaks highly of democracy in the abstract but quickly loses enthusiasm as the reality approaches.