Opinion Writing for Medicare for All
Clare Fauke is a Communications Specialist at PNHP.
Why should M4A advocates bother with opinion writing?
Why should M4A advocates bother with opinion writing?
Educate — raise awareness and dispel myths
Persuade — build public support for M4A
Pressure — demand action from those in power
Who can can write �opinion pieces?
ANYONE with an OPINION!
Why should PNHP members make opinion writing a priority?
People trust you: Physicians enjoy high levels of credibility, authority, and respect in the community.
You have stories to tell: First-hand experience, knowledge, and expertise with our broken health system.
Coverage: PNHP members live in every state, from small towns to major cities. You know your community.
Raise your profile: Opinion pieces lead to other �opportunities with media and your community.
Real talk about media markets
Real talk about media markets
SMALL — Erie PA; Fargo, ND; Springfield, ??
MEDIUM — Cleveland, St. Louis, Albany, NY
LARGE — NYC, Chicago, D.C., LA
PROs and CONs to living in any sized media market!
Real talk about media markets
SMALLER MEDIA MARKETS:
😀 PROs: Less competition, easier to form relationships with editors, love free content.
😒 CONs: Smaller audience, fewer outlets to pitch
Real talk about media markets
LARGER MEDIA MARKETS:
😀 PROs: Big audience, national reach, more prestigious, bigger impact, more likely to be shared widely.
😒 CONs: More competition, less likely to get a direct response from an editor.
Two types of opinion pieces: Letters to the Editor v. Op-eds
Letters to the Editor
ABR = Always Be Responding.
Letters to the Editor
What are you responding to? �Look for problems that could be solved with MFA
Letters to the Editor
POP QUIZ! �
Think of one news story that you’ve seen/heard in the past week that makes the case for MFA. �
Letters to the Editor: Anatomy Class
LETTER: Firefighters’ plight is another example of need for single payer health insurance
Letters to the Editor: Anatomy Class
To the Editor:
There may be better examples of how dysfunctional our health insurance system is, but the difficulties of 15,000 Fredericksburg-area patients covered by health insurance giant Cigna who are in the unenviable position of having to change providers due to a contract dispute between Cigna and Mary Washington Healthcare [“Firefighters rally to get health care access back,” July 17] is certainly an apt one.
The problem? Our health insurance system is based on our for-profit health insurance industry, which is an exceptionally expensive—and entirely unnecessary—middleman that provides no care to anyone, but whose financial health, given our twisted system, must be protected at all costs. Even at the expense of the health of those 15,000 “covered lives.”
The solution? An entirely new health insurance system, one where the health of the patient, not the financial health of an insurance company, is paramount. Health care experts have for decades recommended switching to single-payer Medicare for All to replace the current dysfunctional system that is directly responsible for the health care chaos now affecting those 15,000 folks. We can and must do better.
Jay Brock, M.D.
Fredericksburg
Letters to the Editor: Anatomy Class
Part 1: The LEDE
...(yes, that’s how it’s spelled)
LEDE: Your “opening shot.” Reference the article you are responding to, establish the topic you want to cover in 1-2 sentences.
To the Editor:
There may be better examples of how dysfunctional our health insurance system is, but the difficulties of 15,000 Fredericksburg-area patients covered by health insurance giant Cigna who are in the unenviable position of having to change providers due to a contract dispute between Cigna and Mary Washington Healthcare [“Firefighters rally to get health care access back,” July 17] is certainly an apt one.
Letters to the Editor: Anatomy Class
Part 2: Identify and describe the problem
The problem? Our health insurance system is based on our for-profit health insurance industry, which is an exceptionally expensive—and entirely unnecessary—middleman that provides no care to anyone, but whose financial health, given our twisted system, must be protected at all costs. Even at the expense of the health of those 15,000 “covered lives.”
Letters to the Editor: Anatomy Class
Part 3: Identify and describe the solution
The solution? An entirely new health insurance system, one where the health of the patient, not the financial health of an insurance company, is paramount. Health care experts have for decades recommended switching to single-payer Medicare for All to replace the current dysfunctional system that is directly responsible for the health care chaos now affecting those 15,000 folks.
Letters to the Editor: Anatomy Class
Part 4 (optional): Conclusion — pull it all together or action steps.
We can and must do better.
Letters to the Editor: Anatomy Class
Part 4.5: The sign off
— Jay D. Brock, M.D.
Fredericksburg, Va.
Always use your professional title!
Letters to the Editor: Pitching
Search the outlet’s website (google “outlet name + submit letter to the editor”) or “CONTACT US” page for instructions.
Letters to the Editor: Pitching
Letters to the Editor: Pitching
By Email: Use the subject line, “Letter to the Editor: [your topic].”
Start with a brief introduction:
“My name is Dr. Jane Smith, I’m a retired family physician here in Springfield. I wanted to respond to this morning’s article about medical bankruptcy. This is something I’ve seen many times in my years of practice and believe the only solution is to adopt single-payer Medicare for All. My letter is below, it is 150 words. Thank you for your consideration.”
Jane Smith, M.D. �1234 Maple Street, Springfield, IL 62629
987-654-3210
PASTE the text of your letter below. �⛔NO ATTACHMENTS EVER! ⛔
Op-eds: Why are they called that?
editorials
op-eds
LTEs
Alternate names in the post-print age
✔ Guest essay
✔ Guest column
✔ “Your Turn”
✔ “Community Voices”
Op-ed: Look for the hook!
Covered by that outlet in the past week
Current event in the news
Issue of concern in the community (esp. small outlets)
Look for the hook — Examples
Look for the hook — Examples
Your voice is your power
✔ Physicians and health workers have respect and credibility
✔ Your experiences paint the picture
“I’m a ___. This is why I think ___.”
“I’m a ___. This is why I think ___.”
“I’m a ___. This is why I think ___.”
“I’m a ___. This is why I think ___.”
Anatomy of an Op-ed: Narrative flow
LEDE: INTRODUCE YOURSELF + PROBLEM
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DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM
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DESCRIBE THE SOLUTION
CONCLUDE + CALL TO ACTION
Anatomy of an Op-ed: Under the hood
POINT #1
“To be sure” (optional to address counter arguments)
ARGUMENT: Based on evidence (stats, news reports, expert quotes, history, first-hand experience)
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POINT# 2
POINT #3 (optional)
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Conclusion: Connect back to the intro/thesis
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LEDE+THESIS: Statement of argument in broad strokes
Anatomy of an Op-ed: THE LEDE
Twenty minutes after I learned I had Type 1 diabetes — after narrowly avoiding a diabetic coma — a nurse pulled my parents away from my bedside and urged them to call our insurance company immediately.
President Donald Trump, I heartily agree with you when you told Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, “You have better health care than we do.” You see, I have been both a patient and a doctor in the U.S. and Australia. After working and studying as a family physician in the U.S. for almost 20 years, I landed my dream job working in Australia in 2015. I love working within this excellent health care system where doctors and patients are supported by a program called Medicare.
Anatomy of an Op-ed: THE LEDE
“I’m a Texas abortion provider. Since the state’s new anti-abortion law – known as Senate Bill 8 – went into effect three weeks ago, my job transformed from physician to dystopian travel agent for a journey that, for most of my patients, will probably never happen.”
“Several years after the implementation of Obamacare, roughly 200,000 residents in San Diego County are still living without health insurance. As a local physician, I know that even insured patients are postponing doctor visits, forgoing recommended procedures or halving medication doses due to cost. Some may be dying because of it.”
Opinion pieces: Content & tone
Op-eds: Where to pitch
Think outside the newspaper box:
Op-eds: How to pitch
PNHP Opinion Writers Team (POWT)
PNHP Opinion Writers Team
PNHP Opinion Writers Team — Next steps
Need assistance?
Clare Fauke, �PNHP communications specialist �
clare@pnhp.org
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