← All videos

Line Edit

A master class video series I created and produced with James Ryerson. There is also a separate podcast. Each episode compares an original draft to its published form in the New York Times, surfacing tacit knowledge about micro, meso, and macro-scale edits.

David Kaiser

Discussing: “Is Quantum Entanglement Real?” (Gray Matter, Nov 2014)
  1. Don't hunt for your peg; the value of the explainer piece
  2. Examples: one can be better than many
  3. Explain the complex idea before giving it a “handle”

Priyamvada Natarajan

Discussing: “At Long Last, a Glimpse of a Black Hole” (April 2019)
  1. Don't bury the lede; history can work, but start with action
  2. Generally, don't open up new questions at the close
  3. Take information out to keep people in

Agnes Callard

Discussing: “Can We Learn to Believe in God?” (The Stone, Jan 2018)
  1. Each piece is drawn from a population of pieces
  2. Generally, leave epigraphs at home; know your venue
  3. Though you don't choose headlines, write engaging ones

Kwame Anthony Appiah

Discussing: “What Does It Mean to ‘Look Like Me’?” (Sept 2019)
  1. Even “perfect drafts” have changes; editorial discretion
  2. Lead with your own voice; use quotations to drive home
  3. Explain everything except for the household names

S. Matthew Liao

Discussing: “Do You Have a Moral Duty to Leave Facebook?” (Nov 2018)
  1. Get to the point quick; no need to clear your throat
  2. The second paragraph self-introduction & clarification
  3. Bringing some rhetorical drama into a conclusion
  4. Strengthening a conclusion

David DeSteno

Discussing: “What Science Can Learn From Religion” (Feb 2019)
  1. Start with the action, not with what you won't talk about
  2. An op-ed is at most one idea, start where the action is!
  3. When it's relevant, state your vantage point up front

Lisa Feldman Barrett

Discussing: “What Emotions Are (and Aren't)” (Gray Matter, Aug 2015)
  1. Use paragraph breaks to set up a three-beat structure
  2. Go big or go home: signal the magnitude of your claims
  3. Don't forget your readers: concede intuitive points

Pitching

Advice and suggestions for academics looking to pitch op-eds to popular outlets
twitter bluesky linkedin spotify substack contact