“Somebody once told me that to get an op-ed published, the secret is to write 80% of it in advance and then wait for a “hook” to appear in the media. Then you write the first paragraph in the last paragraph, which has to be some kind of policy recommendation, and fire away.” – Paul Edwards in a comment on a Society for History of Technology blog discussion from October
I think I have one of these cooking that I need to write about efforts to get girls to code or celebrate women who hack. I just need to wait for the next time Google or Facebook launch one of these things. Probably a few weeks from now.
I got that same advice at a workshop at the American Anthropological Association meetings this year– though without the percentages.
The number I got instead was 3, as in get your op ed in a paper within 3 days of the original news story circulating, so the issue is still on the minds of readers.
I have several opinions, bolstered by a good deal of research, that the California readership needs to read about earthquake safety and the earthquake early warning system under development there. It’s very necessary that the technical system is integrated into public outreach and educational programs.
It might be a while, though…