Meet the Media: Yousef Baig, California Voices Editor, CalMatters
KP Public Affairs’ Patrick George and CalMatters’ Yousef Baig
Insights and Inner Workings of CalMatters’ California Voices
KP Public Affairs caught up with Yousef Baig, editor of the recently rebranded California Voices commentary section for nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization CalMatters. Baig described his background, journalistic approach, and the types of commentaries that make a great Cal Matters opinion. Here are some highlights.
CalMatters’ overall approach is to probe, explain and explore solutions to quality-of-life issues while holding leaders accountable. CalMatters has grown significantly over eight years and now maintains a staff of more than 60 editors, reporters, and support personnel. CalMatters covers a wide variety of policy-oriented subject matter including the environment/water, healthcare, justice, the economy, and housing. CalMatters also has a team, California Divide, covering disparities affecting the state’s most vulnerable communities. Baig is the first full-time commentary editor.
About California Voices
California Voices commentaries are 650 words of well-written, active-voice opinions with a novel, strong point of view. Commentaries are policy-oriented to showcase how legislation and regulation impact real Californians. There is a constant flow of pieces going in through the commentary email and directly to Baig (see contact information below). Baig receives between 20-30 pieces a week. Ordinarily, he has one, sometimes two opinions posted each day. Occasionally, Cal Matters will run three pieces but that is very rare. Baig also flagged that CalMatters encourages up-to-150-word letters to the editor reacting to stories and opinions.
About 25% of the pieces for the commentary section are solicited by CalMatters and about 75% are submitted. During elections, the pace picks up. On Fridays, Baig posts point/counterpoint commentaries. The authors take a harder stance than a typical commentary. “We expect them to be one-sided,” said Baig.
Seeking Unique, Real-World Perspectives
In addition to maintaining the day-to-day traffic, Baig is also striving to enhance the California Voices section to appeal to more readers at a deeper, personal level. He seeks to evolve California Voices to feature more ordinary people and real-life impacts tied to policy matters. He remains interested in hearing from experts and policy-makers but will put a premium on human experiences and stories. “A piece from an oil field worker would take precedence over an oil executive.”
Suggestions for Authors: Put on a Journalist Hat
When crafting an opinion, Baig recommends putting on a journalist’s hat, “consider how you can answer a question in a different way, spend more time thinking about what you can say that is different. Imagine it’s the reader's first time hearing about the issue. How are you going to win them over?”
About the lead: “Bonus points to the commentary author who has a unique first sentence that gets to the point quickly. Keep it to thirty words or less. Be concise and attention-grabbing. Authors try to cram too much in the beginning.”
Baig says the kicker is as important as the lead. “After a strong lead, land the follow-up punches with a descriptive subhead and supporting points.”
Baig urges authors to use personal experiences and thoughts to support the main points of the piece but look at other data as well. Great commentaries also acknowledge the other side and subtly, intelligently question the merits of their arguments.
Baig also recommends having a strong summary argument at the end of the piece. “Leave the reader with a ‘last feeling’ at the end.”
Submission-to-Posting Process
Yousef reviews pieces as he receives them. He aims to reply to authors within a day or two – yes, no, or suggesting edits. Commentary authors often have an interesting idea but may need to adjust or sharpen their focus. After editing, he puts the piece into a queue to be posted – this can also take two to three days. Baig is open to seeing an outline or summary of a piece before it is submitted to gauge whether it is a fit.
When it is not a fit
If a piece is not accepted or not the right fit, he tries to share with the author what would make it better or why it doesn’t work. Sometimes opinions don’t move forward at all because they are not new, don’t offer a strong point of view, aren’t tied to policy or directed toward readers, are hyper-local, or are not factual.
For Policymakers
Baig also receives commentaries from time to time authored by lawmakers. There is an interest in his readership for these pieces but he urges elected officials to make the pieces personal. He also cautions lawmakers about his time horizon: “I can’t turn around a piece in a day or two. If the piece is tied to a hearing or event, I need at least four days to review, edit and get it into the queue. Time submissions accordingly.” Baig said if authors note a future hearing or an event when they submit a commentary he will try to time the posting to coincide with the date.
Cal Matters Seeks to Inspire Involvement
Overall, Baig reminds readers the goal of CalMatters (including California Voices) is to inspire ordinary Californians to care and get involved. “We want people to go beyond just tweeting about it.” The CalMatters distribution model makes articles and commentaries available to subscribing newspapers and online outlets across the state at no cost. So, authors should keep in mind topics should be statewide but have local appeal.
In-House Opinion Writers
Baig will soon begin contributing as a regular opinion writer focusing on issues including climate and land use. He will be joined by two opinion writers: Jim Newton who will write about Los Angeles-specific policy issues and trends and Julie Lynem who will write about schools, race, gender, and “whatever else she’s following.”
Website profile:
Yousef Baig is the California Voices editor, overseeing the commentary section for CalMatters. He previously worked for The Sacramento Bee where he was the assistant opinion editor and a member of the editorial board, covering the city and a variety of state issues. Before that, Yousef spent nearly six years working for local newspapers in the North Bay Area. He was a reporter for The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa in the aftermath of consecutive years of devastating wildfires, and news editor for its sister paper, the Petaluma Argus-Courier. He started his professional career as a sports reporter at the Napa Valley Register. Yousef was born in Anaheim but raised in the Atlanta area and earned a journalism degree at the University of Georgia. He returned to California in 2014.
To contact Baig:
Authors can email the Commentary address or Baig’s personal email.
Yousef Baig
California Voices Editor
916-573-8951
