An opinion column can be a powerful way to address the public on an important issue of the day-and influence policy. But we all have opinions, and competition to get published in the media is intense. So where do you start?
In this course, we will look at the practical realities of writing opinion columns on statistics (and science in general). How do you break down a complex issue to its core elements and build that into an argument for a general reader? How do you structure a column? What should you leave out? What voice or style should you write in? How do you pitch to an editor?
Elisabeth Eaves is a contributing editor to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and former opinion editor at The Daily, Forbes, and Wall Street Journal. Trevor Butterworth is the executive director of Sense About Science USA.
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