Writing About Social Issues

Writing About Social IssuesWriting about social issues is an extremely powerful tool. I wrote an article for Forbes.com a few years ago about the great work of Dr. Ben Carson, the pediatric neurosurgeon. Writing about these issues and talking about them can really open up the dialogue and make people think in a different way.When a young mother asked a political reporter if he could go away for a day to help her raise her infant son, he didn't see it as an opportunity to write about issues of social importance, but rather as a woman's question that could not be answered. He decided that she was too emotional to ask the right questions. Then, when the reporter went on to talk about the child's health, he felt he had no answers, and he said so.Once he left, the young mother felt overwhelmed with her emotions. She continued to ask the reporters questions, as she wanted to know what she should do, while he seemed just as lost.That kind of thing happens all the time with many writers, par ticularly in writing about social issues. They don't really realize that their articles and pieces are not only being read by thousands of people, but they are also being read by thousands of people who have an opportunity to use the material to influence people who have been in their shoes before.Even more so, writers in this industry want to write about the issues and the problems facing people in this country but they simply don't feel they have the authority to speak about the entire situation. If they do, they are threatened and even silenced.This article is not about writing about social issues. It is about writing about the power of words and how powerful we can be when we are willing to take the bull by the horns and speak out against issues that we feel are right and we believe in. It is about making a difference and creating change.Many people think that writing about social issues will only serve to make things worse and harm our reputation. Others think it will only crea te more hatred and strife among people. I have seen the truth of the matter.One thing I know for sure is that I tried to speak out against things I felt were wrong, but the effort didn't work. If I had been writing about social issues, I am very confident that the whole world would have been changed and everyone would have been better off.