Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, you have a lot of power to help nonhuman animals through the written word by drawing on your own insight, emotion, and personal experience. One important way to do this is through op-eds.

Op-eds are opinion columns submitted to a newspaper or other publication that allow you to share your perspective on an issue of importance with that publication’s audience. Anyone can write and submit an op-ed. Publications appreciate op-eds that offer a new viewpoint or perspective on a topic that will be of interest to their readers.  

Opinion columns serve as an important tool to highlight news issues that might otherwise receive less media attention. As a supporter of the NhRP, you can use writing to share your unique perspective on the problems faced by nonhuman animals and underscore recognition of animal rights as a solution.

If you’ve never written and submitted an op-ed, it may initially sound daunting. However, if you follow some simple guidelines, the process isn’t as difficult as you may think.  Your opinion matters, and sharing your opinion through an op-ed can help change hearts and minds.

First, determine a newsworthy topic you want to share your opinion on.  It should be a topic you genuinely care about. Although you don’t necessarily need to be a subject matter expert, it helps to have a basic understanding of your issue, including knowing the pros and cons, or both sides of the argument.  For example, maybe you want to share your opinion about elephants used in entertainment and how they deserve the right to live freely.  

Think about what makes your topic relevant to your reader. Consider timeliness and locale. Perhaps an important date is approaching or maybe something is happening locally the public should be aware of. Your reader may be interested in the topic of elephants used in entertainment because a traveling animal act is coming to your city. Alternatively, maybe elephants are brought to your state annually and you’re calling for your state legislature to address the problem with a new bill, a topic that affects your entire state. Importantly, your reader should somehow be impacted or have a sense that this topic is relevant to them.

Once you have decided on your topic, state your position. The reader should clearly understand what the problem is and where you stand on the issue. Tell them which side of the argument you’re taking. Doing so orients your reader and prepares them to hear your argument. For example, your thesis may be that traveling animal acts aren’t appropriate for elephants because elephants shouldn’t be kept alone and travel is stressful for them.

If your personal or professional experience is relevant to the argument you’re making, consider integrating it into your op-ed. This helps lend credibility to your argument and shows why your reader should consider your position. For example, you might be an elementary school educator whose students have wondered whether elephants enjoy performing tricks, or a business owner who’s refused to exploit animals as part of your business.  

After you’ve stated your position, it’s time to back it up.  Provide the reader with accurate information to support your claim. Sometimes facts are commonly known, but not always. If there is a claim you’re making, it’s good to check your sources and even hyperlink your source when possible. Here, you might provide verifiable information explaining elephant social behavior including how they live in matriarchal herds and are not solitary.  

Once you’ve stated your position and backed up your argument, tell your reader what you want them to do. Maybe your goal is to make them aware of this problem. Alternatively, you might be asking them to take action such as calling their local representative and supporting a proposed ban on traveling elephant acts.  

In addition to deciding on your topic, stating your position, supporting your opinion, and directing your reader to act, there are some other things to consider. Importantly, you must decide where you plan to submit your op-ed. Keep in mind that news sources and other media outlets typically require material that wasn’t previously published elsewhere.  This means you can’t blast out your op-ed to several publications all at once. Instead, you need to select a publication, submit the op-ed and then wait the required time to see if it’s selected for publication. If it isn’t, you can then submit it to another news source. Depending on your topic, you may want to start locally or with a regional publication that has a readership that would find your topic highly relevant.  

Keep in mind that you must follow the guidelines set by the newspaper. Most op-eds have a strict word limit. For regional publications the word limit is often shorter, whereas for larger newspapers you may have a word limit of 700-800 words. The submission guidelines will also tell you where to submit your op-ed, and also specify if a particular format is required.  

Op-ed topics focusing on nonhuman animals are interesting and relevant to a lot of readers. Writing an op-ed to help educate your community about some of the challenges faced by captive elephants, chimpanzees, or other nonhuman animals, and how recognition of animal rights can help meet these challenges, can make a positive impact. Animals are not voiceless. They communicate with us, expressing themselves through their own unique vocalizations and other actions. However, not everyone sees them. Writing an op-ed gives you the power to change that–and help us get closer to a reality where the legal system sees animals, too. 

An op-ed by Jamie: Illinois zoo’s new exhibit is going to be cruel to elephants (The State Journal-Register, September 2025)

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