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Many experts have written about crafting the perfect op-ed. But what about crafting the perfect op-ed for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency?
First and foremost, we’re in the market for fascinating pieces that will spark conversation among Jews around the world. Whether it aims to delight, inspire, entertain or inform, an ideal op-ed provides something new and of value to anyone who reads it.
That might sound like a tall order, but if you’re feeling up to the task, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Read what we’ve published before.
The best way to get a sense of the op-eds JTA is interested in publishing is to read our Ideas pages. It should go without saying, but don’t pitch us a story someone else has already written for us.
Make it personal.
JTA favors essays that place the writer’s experiences front and center — first-person narrative that explains through anecdote and description why this story matters to you, your experience with the topic, and why you have a stake in its resolution.
We have shifted our focus away from “policy” pieces that address a topic or propose a solution from an organizational or corporate perspective. We have found that readers respond most enthusiastically to stories written in the “I” voice. Before you pitch an op-ed, ask yourself: Why am I qualified to tell the story I want to tell, and how will I explain that to the reader?
Promote an idea, not (only) yourself.
The most relevant pieces for us will relate directly to a developing news story of interest to the global Jewish community or an emerging issue that deserves wider coverage. Such pieces may offer fresh solutions to familiar or persistent challenges in Jewish communal, political, social and religious life. We ask that writers promote an idea, not just themselves, an event or an organization.
Provide the evidence.
Writing from your personal point of view doesn’t mean skimping on the research. (As Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, “You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.”)
Come armed with expert interviews, data and other sources to back up your claims. Make sure to source and hyperlink all of your claims, and ensure that there’s a clear connection between the evidence you bring and the opinion you present. Opinion journalism is still journalism.
Write with Jewish diversity in mind.
You know the old saying: Two Jews, three opinions. Our readers span the globe and all have different ideas about politics, Israel, religion and Jewish life. Ideally, op-ed writers will be able to add a unique voice to the mix and speak to all of our readers in a compelling way, whether those readers agree with your opinions or not. We urge writers to share strong opinions, but also to respect those who might disagree with them. We are guided by Pirke Avot, the compendium of Jewish wisdom, which says that “every argument for the sake of heaven will in the end be of permanent value, but every argument not for the sake of heaven will not endure.”
For us that means arguing in good faith — that is, with the intent of solving a problem, respecting the other party, and being open to the possibility that you don’t have all the answers.
Once you’re ready to write, send a draft of your essay to ideas@jta.org. You may also send a pitch with a few sentences about yourself and the piece you’d like to write, although we may request a completed draft on speculation — that is, with no commitment that we will run the piece.
Note that we don’t accept any pieces that have been published elsewhere, and only consider essays that have been pitched exclusively to us.
We look forward to reading your stories.