Why even opinion columnists have to get out in the field

On the comment desk, we follow the news closely and respond to the biggest issues of the day, no matter what – or where – they are. That means finding opinion articles which add to the conversation about, say, Matthew Hedges’ release from a UAE prison or the clash between Ukraine and Russia in the Sea of Azov this week. Despite what it might sometimes feel like, it’s not all Brexit!

While most of our columnists are based in the UK (and more than happy to analyse, illuminate and sometimes poke fun at those endless Brexit developments), when we need expert opinion on international breaking news, we reach out to someone who knows what it’s like on the ground. That’s why we ran a piece by Cameron Russell, the campaign manager of the first transgender candidate for governorship, during the US midterms, and why we asked our security correspondent Kim Sengupta – who has visited the region on a number of occasions and recently returned from a trip there – to give us his perspective on what’s happening in Ukraine today.

Of course, the foreign desk organises the delivery of from-the-scene news as it unfolds globally. But it’s equally important that the opinion desk is mindful of commissioning people with a proper understanding of the context of that news. We often call on Mary Dejevsky, a former Moscow correspondent who lived in Russia for years and still travels there regularly, to give her perspective on issues like Putin’s relationship with other world leaders or the political fallout from the novichok scandal. Or Patrick Cockburn, who has specialised in writing about the Middle East since 1979 and who predicted the rise of Isis long before anyone else realised the group’s growing significance, to write about the global impact of the US’s Iran sanctions or the consequences of continued warfare in Yemen.

Sometimes we have to be creative to find a news comment line which fits the bill. So, while we were unlikely to find a member of the Sentinelese tribe on North Sentinel island to write about the death of John Allen Chau this week, we did commission a piece from Mwende Katwiwa, a Kenyan American woman who used to believe passionately in Christian missionary work but changed her mind. Such pieces help people to understand what motivated someone like Chau to undertake a dangerous and seemingly foolhardy mission. In doing so, they increase understanding and compassion, adding nuance to the news and challenging kneejerk assumptions.

Yours,

Holly Baxter

Comment editor