Gary Jacobsen
Published: May 6, 2008

“Let us dare to read, think, speak and write”
— John Adams (1765)

There are numerous rewards associated with being a weekly columnist for newspapers such as the Potomac News and the Manassas Journal-Messenger. You get the opportunity to express your views on matters of importance, plus you gain a certain amount of status — or shall I say notoriety? — in the community.

These lures are so great that some persons claim to be columnists when they are not. In 2001 a retired Army colonel who ran for state delegate claimed to have been a columnist for the Potomac News, but those of us who were on the payroll and who had to meet weekly deadlines knew better. Nonetheless, we were flattered that the colonel was pretending to be one of us.

Except for one three-year period, I have been writing weekly columns for Media General since February, 1998. In the process, I have learned some lessons that may be helpful to aspiring journalists.

First, make sure your column is interesting. You are not writing a college research paper, nor are you writing a puff piece about some inconsequential topic. You should be writing about a matter that is of interest to busy newspaper readers who have many things competing for their time and attention. A good rule of thumb is to ask your spouse to critically read your column before you send it in. If he or she yawns, rewrite the column.

Next, be an advocate. Editors select columnists who hold different views because they want balanced presentations on topics that are of interest to the community. Don’t be afraid to marshal facts that support your viewpoint and to present them with your best rhetorical skills. Often you will be speaking for others who have the same views but who cannot express them publicly because they are worried about reactions from friends, neighbors, co-workers or employers. To state it differently, you must be willing to be the “tip of the spear” on many controversial issues while others remain in the background.

Third, don’t be afraid of criticism, particularly in the form of letters to the editor. Radio personality Rush Limbaugh once said that the views of those who call into his show do not necessarily reflect the views of his broader radio audience. The callers tend to be agitated and extreme in the way they express themselves. The same is true in the newspaper business. A few readers may use incendiary rhetoric to criticize you or your views, but they do not represent the entire newspaper audience.

Fourth, remember that readers must have the last word. That is the only we can progress to new topics. The editor will allow you to express your views in a 600-word column, and — if the opinion piece was any good — readers will respond with pro or con letters to the editor. That’s the end of it. The fact that readers might raise new issues concerning your veracity, the quality of your research or the tone of your opinion piece is irrelevant. Never look back.

Finally, learn the rules concerning libel. You cannot make statements about others that are untrue. If you do, you may find yourself on the wrong end of a defamation lawsuit, as former radio personality
Chris Core recently discovered. An exception to the “truth” rule is the “fair comment and criticism” rule that applies to politicians and to others who are in the public eye. In these cases, your comments are protected, even if false, provided you were not motivated by malice in publishing them.

Gary Jacobsen studied journalism at the University of Illinois. He now lives in Woodbridge.