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

Atrazine on the Rocks? No Thanks

Questions arise about the reliability of data in company-produced studies the EPA considers when determining whether drinking water is safe.

Letters to the Editor: Kaul on Barton and God

One column continues to either fascinate or irritate religious readers who apparently don’t appreciate Don’s sarcasm.

The Million-Dollar Penny

The ulta-rich are splurging again as the rest of us muddle through the Great Recession.

Fighting Obesity in the Classroom

Parents, schools, communities, and experts all have a role to play in finding solutions to this crisis.

Keep the Internet Open for All

Net neutrality may be in serious trouble.

Let’s Sit Down and Talk with Iran

What’s needed now is a series of long, frank discussions between Iran’s leaders and other key global players.

We’ve Got to Get out of There

Strategies that depend on invading and pacifying Afghanistan–thereby bending it to the invader’s will–never work

Look Out, BP’s Doing It Again!

First, BP is drilling down two miles under the Beaufort Sea.

Put Your Money on Climate Change

We’re going to need more than a handful of wind farms continue and some solar clusters here and there.

Afghanistan Exit Strategy

We’re almost there again, and again, and again.

Raking it in at Walmart

The CEO makes in an hour what his workers earn in a year.

The Lineup: Week of July 5-12, 2010

We’ve posted everything a few days early due to the Independence Day holiday.

Narco-Subs: Another Reason Why the Drug War is Futile

Drug traffickers have moved well beyond hidden underwear pockets.

Letters to the Editor: Kaul’s $50 Bill Column

One reader says she’s having “a hard time imagining spending money” bearing President Reagan’s picture.

Pentagon Plans $100 Billion in Spending Cuts

The Obama administration seeks military savings over the next five years.

Petroleum and Silly Putty on the Menu

McDonald’s uses chemicals in the United States that it manages to do without in its British restaurants.

Supreme Court Rules Against Crime-Fighting

It’s now harder for Chicago cops to confiscate gangmembers’ guns.

The Lineup: Week of June 28-July 4, 2010

Here’s what you’ll find in this week’s OtherWords editorial package.

Who Should Pay for the Crisis?

One place to look for new revenue: the financial sector that got us into this mess in the first place.

It’s Time for Israel to End the Gaza Siege

Making the people of Gaza miserable is a failed policy that violates international law.