|
The primary election is behind us, the general election is ahead of us, the LNG gas line tax break bill is seemingly DOA, and for the moment, Opinion World has entered something of a kinder, gentler few weeks.
As the flood of election-related letters and commentaries has slowed to a more manageable stream, now is a good time for a friendly reminder about our ADN opinion submission guidelines. The No. 1 tip? Shorter is almost always better.
Letters to the editor should be under 200 words. Letters under 100 words have an even better chance of being published. Commentaries should generally run between 500 and 600 words.
There is a practical reason for those limits. Concise pieces are more likely to hold a reader’s attention. Make your point, support it and trust that readers will understand it. More words do not necessarily make an argument more persuasive. Often, they simply bury the strongest point.
And I’ll own my part in this: I need to do a better job of enforcing our length guidelines. I have allowed too many submissions to stretch well beyond them, which creates more editing and gives longer pieces an advantage over writers who follow the rules. That is on me.
Whatever you submit, be sure to include your name, city of residence and contact information. Disclose any personal or professional connection to the subject. Avoid personal attacks, cite factual claims and quotations with links, and send us original work.
We want a wide range of views with strong arguments and thoughtful observations representing voices from across Alaska. We also want writing that respects the reader’s time.
Between now and November, before we all begin pounding away at our keyboards again like the rage monkeys we know we can be, let’s practice one useful rule: Short and sweet is the answer. And if you want to share that answer, do it via letters@adn.com or by using our web form. I look forward to hearing from you.
— Gary Black, opinion editor
Anchorage Daily News
gblack@adn.com
|
