WikiLeaks writing tip

You couldn’t avoid the media’s coverage of WikiLeaks back in 2010, when I originally wrote this post. An article in the New York Times focused on the high quality of the writing in the cables. Naturally, I was intrigued.

“The trick is to catch the reader’s attention,” advises Ambassador Richard Hoagland in his “Ambassador’s Cable Drafting Tips,” according to “Clinton Squeezes WikiLemons, Trying to Make Diplomatic Lemonade.” That’s a great idea. I wish more folks would think of the reader when they write.

Hoagland tells writers to get to the point in their subject lines. “The first three to five words are all they will see in their electronic queues.” He’s right. Remember this the next time you write an email.

 

Note: Updated Sept. 13, 2026