I just finished reading this “Guest Op/Ed” by McGinn at Seattle Crime. It’s a good explanation of why the city went after The Weekly, and how McGinn thinks they can change their ways. Beyond the specifics, the fact that he went with Seattle Crime instead of The Seattle Times for this piece shows the respectability blogs are gaining. Especially ones like Seattle Crime that do a lot of on the ground reporting.
Of course, blogs have had elected officials guest post for some time now. HA has had guest posts by politicians before, and I think the trend is important. Where the issue is more general interest, the elected officials will probably stick with newspapers and their own websites. But it makes more sense for the mayor to run this story at Seattle Crime since they have been reporting on it more than anyone else.
While generally I think this sort of thing is good, one thing doesn’t translate from the paper form. And that’s the name Op-Ed. It literally means the page opposite the editorials. So for example in today’s New York Times the editorials are on page A20, and the Op-Ed is A21. When you close the paper they face one another. This physicality doesn’t exist in blogs, and I think we need another word or phrase. Here are my suggestions:
- Guest Post
- Guest Piece
- Opinion Piece
- Opinion
- Special To (whatever blog)
- Exclusive to (whatever blog)
- Written Thingamajig
- Guest Blog*
* I’m not a fan of using “blog” for “blog post” but people do use it that way, and it would still be an improvement over Op-Ed.
I always thought Op-Ed was the name of the section that contains signed opinion pieces and editorials. There are and always have been plenty of newspapers where the two types of articles don’t appear on facing pages.
I think blogs can repurpose Op-Ed just fine.
I’d go with “VIP Commentator”.
I think it’s a good idea for newspapers, blogs, and other media to give politicians and other decision makers a soapbox to pitch their initiatives or ideas to the public. The limitation of this format, of course, is that it doesn’t allow for the kind of tough questioning that reporters do in press conferences and citizens can do in townhalls; but this kind of direct communication between leaders and citizens is nevertheless valuable.
Unfortunately, the main limitation on it is that our politicians today are followers instead of leaders. They’re towed across the social landscape by opinion polling, focus groups, and the like — like cattle being led with ropes tied to iron rings through their noses.
What America desperately needs, and utterly lacks, today is leaders like Teddy Roosevelt who, instead of being led by public opinion, get up in front of crowds and create public opinion. Teddy knew what he wanted and persuaded the American public to support it; the grotesque politics and leadership failures we see today are a product of sycophantic politicians trying to please, instead of inform and lead, voters by catering to public whims no matter how ill-informed or idiotic they are.
Thus, you get a Palin or Bachmann instead of a Jefferson or Lincoln … and that will be the end of us.
So, yeah, we should have “guest” commentators. Now, Carl, all you have to is go out there and find a few Teddy Roosevelts …