We are delighted to report that Pacific News Service has expressed interest in working with MESA members. PNS is enthusiastic about the idea of having MESA members write for them on topics related to the post 9-11 situation and the Middle East more broadly. Basic guidelines for submissions are as follows:

• Articles should be limited to 800 words and written in a popular journalistic style.
• Articles can be news or features. (Features are most likely to be written by people in the Middle East who are seeing things not reported in the mass media; they can be commentary or opinion. PNS expects that scholars in the US will be most likely to write commentary.)
• In an opinion piece an author should indicate something about why his/her voice deserves attention.

Articles should be sent directly to Mary Jo McConahay of PNS at: mcconahay@pacificnews.org. MESA members may wish to read Bill Beeman’s articles on writing for the press, an art in which few academics are well practiced. William O. Beeman 2001. “Writing for the crisis.” Anthropology Today, 17(6): 1-2; 1988; “Anthropology and the print media.” Anthropology Today, 3 (3): 2-4.

*Pacific News Service syndicates articles on the wire internationally to subscribing publications. Based in San Francisco, California, PNS also develops and produces news reports, essays for The News Hour with Jim Lehrer and NPR, and films; organizes forums on public policy; and consults with groups to augment their communications capabilities and their outreach to both ethnic minority groups and young people. The PNS website notes that the service looks “for the unasked question, the unheard voices and conversations.”