Joan Didion begins her 1979 book The White Album with a striking assertion: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” In journalism, op-eds—short for “opposite the editorial page”—are where these stories take shape. Such narratives aren’t neutral reports on events but a fusion of arguments, perspectives, and deeply felt convictions. The most salient narratives do not come merely from headlines or official reports but from the voices that dare to step beyond them—voices that argue, persuade, and reveal something more remarkable.
It’s hard to conceive that the modern op-ed didn’t always exist. The modern op-ed was formally developed in 1970 in The New York Times under the direction of editor John B. Oakes. Though newspapers had long featured opinion pieces, they were almost exclusively written by staff editors or columnists. From academics to everyday citizens, the Times revolutionized this format by dedicating an entire page to outside contributors, thereby offering diverse perspectives beyond the paper’s official stance.
Since its establishment, the op-ed has become an influential vehicle for shaping public discourse, dismantling dominant narratives, and elevating unheard voices. In our modern fragmented media landscape, op-eds remain a counterbalance to traditional reports, indicating that journalism isn’t exclusively about telling people what happened but rather about making sense of why it matters.
This past week, one of our writers at the Independent attended a conference on “Organizing and Lawyering for Systemic Justice” at Harvard Law School. At the conference, experts on a panel on legal journalism discussed what kinds of reporting on court decisions most powerfully represent the impact these rulings and decisions have on individuals.
Several of the featured journalists mentioned that the most riveting law review articles, or other forms of legal journalism, remove nearly all of the legal details, leaving behind the stories that speak to the larger impact that a ruling may have. After all, the law does not exist in a vacuum, nor do politics or power.
Here at the Independent, we reflected on our current initiatives, which focus on publishing outside contributors’ voices that share not just what is happening but what should happen next. We imagined this column, News and Views, as an effort to fill this lack of national journalism and Harvard’s on-campus publications spaces. We want this initiative to exist with editorial writers in coordination with our classmates and peers outside the Independent.
News and Views aims to create a space where personal narratives and strong arguments shape the conversation. We recognize that all individuals on Harvard’s campus have unique stories. The news has arguably never felt closer to home, clearly affecting our friends, loved ones, and even ourselves at a highly intimate level.
The strongest opinion writing does not only react to current events and the world; it drives it forward. We’re asking for your opinions on breaking or contentious news, informed by your unique experiences and perspectives. We welcome all Harvard undergraduates to submit 650-800 word opinion editorials here. Writers of accepted submissions will be paired with members of our editorial team to ensure your piece is ready for both online and print publication. If you have something to say—an idea, a story, an argument—this is your place to share it! Submit your op-ed. Join the conversation. Make your voice heard.
Rania Jones ’27 (rjones@college.harvard.edu), Sara Kumar ’27 (sjkumar@college.harvard.edu), and Gauri Sood ’26 (gaurisood@college.harvard.edu) really want you to submit an op-ed to News and Views.