Friday, January 05, 2007

On opinionated opinion editors

Since April 2005, I’ve had op-eds published in over 10 newspapers in Australia and New Zealand. I’ve appeared in major newspapers of both Fairfax and News Limited empires. It’s been a roller-coaster ride, and I’ve met some interesting characters along the way.

Most opinion editors are polite and professional. They are also extremely busy and frequently unable to respond to e-mails and submissions.

But some opinion editors deliberately insist on only allowing a certain line to be run on certain issues. Others are prone to using foul and disgusting language over the phone to contributors.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be exploring and exposing some of my experiences with these editors. I won’t be naming any names or exposing specific newspapers. I can tell you they are all based in Australia, though not in Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Hobart, Geelong, Perth or Adelaide.

Watch this space.

© Irfan Yusuf 2006