RECLAIM THE COMBOX

November 6, 2017 | Published first in Women Speak for Themselves

As some of you may have seen, NYT published a truly awful op-ed on the reversal of the HHS mandate. It was riddled with misinformation, enough to write an op-ed in response—or at least a letter to the editor!

It’s frustrating seeing “news” like this, especially because we don’t always have an hour to respond in an op-ed…or when we do, and they don’t publish it. (It happens to me, too! Here are hints for getting published).

One way to speak for yourself quickly is to use the comment box. It may be filled with trolls, and say what you will, but comment boxes are still widely read by the source’s audience and sometimes even the article’s author or editors.

Point is, people are reading what you write there. You can use simple facts to take on a bad piece in the span of minutes.

Here’s my comment on the recent op-ed claiming that women need free contraception, which NYT published on their site:

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from my example, feel free to get a little sassy if you want to! Use our fact sheets and talking points, and suffer no fools telling a false story about BC and women’s “needs.”

If you’re not sure how to respond, or feel more shy, here’s a helpful blog about how to winningly correct false information about contraception and women’s freedom.

Comment all you like, but pick your battles! You don’t have to respond to internet trolls all day long. Stick to the facts, and don’t get upset. You don’t have to have the last word. Just put the truth out there and move on. You never know who’s reading, and who is impacted by hearing the truth.