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We are thrilled that you would consider writing a Guest Op-Ed or submitting a Letter to the Editors. Please follow the suggested structure & guidelines below and submit your Op-Ed either to [email protected] or directly to your Hudson Common Sense correspondent. We can’t wait to read your ideas, critiques, responses, and uncommon questions.
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Often cited by The Economist:
"The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race... if the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth; if wrong, they lose... clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.”
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Explainer: “Op-Ed" stands for opposite the editorial page. It originally referred to articles placed across from a newspaper’s editorial, typically written by guest writers expressing independent opinions. Now it broadly denotes opinion essays by non-editorial voices.
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At Hudson Common Sense, we treat reasoned disagreement not as dissent but as democratic maintenance. Like a good market, ideas thrive on competition. We seek out arguments we oppose, not out of masochism, but conviction: that truth is iterative and critique is civic duty. Publishing our fiercest detractors is not charity, it is epistemic hygiene, meaning keeping our thinking honest, rigorous, and well-informed. And for the Mayor, that means checking your facts before Facebook posts, not just polishing your podium.
If you disagree with our Editorial opinions, or take issue with a Guest Op-Ed, show some courage and write a Guest Op-Ed with a new idea, a levelheaded critique, or simply a shorter Letter to the Editor to set the record straight or pay a compliment. By sending correspondence, we slow things down. Like coffee over a fresh edition of The Economist or FT, good ideas and dialogue are not rushed.
Hudson has trust issues and we admire self-reliance… if you prefer publishing your Op-Ed yourself, or in another publication, please go ahead and we an link to the source in a “Re-Post”. We may also republish, with full credit and citation existing public Guest Op-Eds to bring key opinion pieces together.
From time to time, we may issue Requests for Persuasion (RFPs), public prompts on topics where we welcome sharp, thoughtful disagreement. Think of it as our version of a Request for Startups, inviting the world to tell us what we might be missing. We also occasionally issue Requests for Commentary (RFCs) in our Dear Sir/Madam column, where we ask specific individuals to respond. Ideas improve through contest. So, please, disagree with us.
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Don’t overthink it. Start with a messy draft, a voice memo, a handwritten note. Our guidance below is just that: guidance. If you have something to say about how our city works or doesn’t, say it however you like. We’ll handle the formatting, transcribe your notes, embed your video, and surface your links. If public officials are paid to write memos, residents are entitled to speak truth by any means necessary.
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Title: ABC Title
Author: Real Name or Column Name, Pseudonym** (See below)*
Abstract/Summary: Tweet length (280 characters) capture the main idea, how you would describe this briefly on the street to a passing resident acquaintance
Headline
Lede (Opening Hook)
Thesis Statement
Body (3-5, or for longer pieces we trust you, paragraphs)
Conclusion
Let us know if you prefer zero editing and then we will not touch a pixel, and work with you on a publication date. Or if you would like to workshop it, get basic editing, get feedback on titles etc., please let us know.
To share your thoughts with our Editorial team about any content in The Economist, please email [email protected] or simply email your correspondent on our team. Emails sent to this address will be considered for publication in the center of Hudson Common Sense. If you don't want your comments published, specify in your email.
Published letters are less than 200 words usually, more of a “final word”, often praise, and sometimes clarification for the record. And yes, if you want to write the wittiest and snarkiest refutation go for it. If you need more space… consider a Guest Op-Ed.
We prefer Guest Op-Eds and letters with real names, and if possible your Ward or City. But we also understand that in a town like Hudson it is not always possible.
We allow “verified anonymous”, but can also publish a cryptographically submitted and entirely anonymous piece if you are Satoshi.
We admire the Economist and how they chose column titles that pay homage to past thinkers, maintain consistency of identity across time, and to help the author’s identity does not distract from the substance of the piece.
The Economist gives its recurring columns names like Schumpeter (business), Bartleby (work), Bagehot (British politics), Charlemagne (Europe), and Lexington (US politics). These are not bylines in the traditional sense. They are column titles, or rubrics, each tied to a theme and written anonymously. The names are borrowed from historical or literary figures to lend voice and continuity, not for flair but for clarity of focus.
What would Hudsonian Column Titles be inspired by? Rip Van Winkle on the longview? Van Buren on Democratic Party politics?
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Corrections and Updates:
While we are all entitled to our own ideas and opinions we are not entitled to our own facts. If we get any facts wrong, please let us know posthaste by emailing [email protected] or even texting one of our editors. We will investigate, correct if necessary, and note the change honestly.
Note that we do attempt to reach out to most entities and persons that we write about in advance, to fact check and give them a heads up. We call this calling in, before calling out. And soon we will publish The Threshold Test, and explain why that is not always possible.
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