Mastering the Art of Opinion Writing
To make a difference, thought leaders must cut through the swirl of white noise that envelops the national discussion. That is why 4Context is key. It empowers experts to write opinion pieces that resonate across the public debate and impact the agenda.
4Context provides guidance, workshops and consultation for writing a persuasive opinion article. Our aim is to help university faculty, think tank scholars, foundation grantees and thought leaders make their voices heard.
More than politics and public affairs, experts' commentary topics might include economics, science, law, race relations, the arts, health care or popular culture. In each field, 4Context will help public intellectuals signal their engagement and advance their ideas. There is no better advertisement for an institution.
Allison Silver, Journalist and Editor
I am a journalist with extensive experience as the top editor of leading commentary sections:
Executive Editor of Opinion, Reuters.com
Opinion Editor, Politico
Sunday “Opinion” Editor, The Los Angeles Times
Articles Editor, The New York Times Sunday Review
Consultant, NBC News THINK
Former Pulitzer Prize juror for Commentary
I was an early adopter to online journalism. Before Politico, I was Founding Editor of the pioneering webpaper, The Washington Independent. There, I managed a staff of 9 reporters, as well as a robust commentary section. Our traffic reached 1 million page views within 10 months. In this role, I was invited to address the Pulitzer Board about online journalism in 2008, and successfully advocated for including online work in the prize competition. I served on the Pulitzer Jury for Commentary the following two years.
I have commissioned and edited tens of thousands of commentary pieces. I know, first-hand, that opinion editors receive many dozens of submissions each week. I can help you shape pieces so that they stand out from the rest.
I've lectured on opinion writing at Yale University, Columbia University, New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science, University of California—Irvine Law School, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Natural Resources Defense Council, Purdue University, New American Foundation and many other colleges and policy organizations. I’ve also taught courses in opinion writing for Central European University and Bard College.
In Addition:
My novel, Lulu in Babylon, a tale of Hollywood present and past, was published by Marmont Lane Books in 2016.
I co-wrote 20th Century Travel (Taschen), which shows how Americans transformed the metabolism of travel during the 20th century. Our national wanderlust made each decade of travel faster, easier and more democratized (er, cheaper).