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Working with communities to uphold the Bill of Rights
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Writing Effective Letters to the Editor

Susan Cundiff, Women's Action for New Directives Board Member

March 25, 2006

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Tips for Writing Effective Letters to the Editor

  • Check on the newspaper's guidelines about how often they will publish a letter from an individual. Most only allow one letter per month. You may submit the same letter to several papers.
  • Find out the newspaper's word limit and don't go beyond it; otherwise, it may decrease your chances of getting published, and your letter may be edited in ways you don't like. (100 to 250 words is typical for local and regional papers.)
  • Form letters are easily recognizable and don’t get published, but you can adapt one to reflect unique characteristics of your community by describing how the topic applies locally.
  • Keep to one topic and be clear. Be concise and interesting. Well-written letters get published! Be careful of using sarcasm. It is usually misunderstood.
  • Draw a connection to yourself. "As a mother of a South Junction High School student," or "As a long-time social worker, I..."
  • Letters must include your full name, address and phone number. Newspaper staff will confirm that you are a real person.
  • Connect your message to a news story, another letter or an editorial and respond quickly. The paper is more likely to print an immediate, timely response. Be sure to include the title and date of the story, letter, or editorial in your letter for reference.
  • Even if you don't live in their distribution area, you may submit to large outlets, such as the New York Times and Washington Post; they often publish submissions from other parts of the country.
  • Use verified facts. Take the time to check original sources (rather than repeating a "fact" cited in another media outlet, for example). If you make a reference to specific documents, have them on hand--the paper may ask for them.
  • Create immediacy by indicating how readers will be affected by the issue you address when possible; try to balance criticism with something positive -- ask for action from your readers when practical. This includes your elected representatives. By including their names in the letter and asking for action, you can get their attention.
  • When writing to your local newspaper, follow up with a polite phone inquiry about its status if your letter doesn't appear for a week (not recommended for large regional or national publications).

Avoid:

  • overstating/exaggerating your point;
  • pejoratives (insulting your opponents);
  • jargon or acronyms (spell out any name the first time you use it, followed by the acronym in parenthesis);
  • saying, "I'm writing to..." or "I think..." Omit needless words.
  • hand-written letters. Most newspapers prefer submissions by email, in email text. Don't send attachments.

Most newspapers receive more than 100 letters per day, and they can only publish six or seven. Editors try to publish a representative sample of viewpoints. The more they receive with a particular viewpoint, the more that will be represented. It will also sway the news reporting.

Final note: Some letters are reactionary, responding to previously published letters, opinion pieces or articles. Others are proactive, based on the presentation of issues in broad-based mainstream media reporting. As we learned from one of the participants in the March workshop, our letters may generate angry responses that can be troubling. The 'upside' to this outcome is that the issue will continue to be explored, resulting in more letters, some supportive and some in opposition, that will keep the issue on the editorial pages of the newspaper.

"Circles of Scribes" is the Women's Action for New Directions (WAND) program in which
groups gather to discuss current events and take action by writing letters. Susan Cundiff, who led our workshop on March 25, participates in a group in Eugene, Oregon. At their monthly meetings, which are open to the public, they may choose a topic to write about, often related to a current event or holiday; sometimes, participants bring letters from newspapers to read and discuss. They edit and critique each other's letters and provide an informal support network between meetings. Every letter written by a member of Eugene's Circle of Scribes has been published.

As a reminder to those who participated in the workshop, Aria Seligmann, a former letters page editor and a member of Eugene's Circle of Scribes, has generously offered to review and edit your letters prior to submitting them to a news outlet. You may send them to ariaseligmann@earthlink.net. Please use subject line: "BORDC Letter for Review" for a faster reply.

Thanks for writing those letters!

  • Read sample letters that have been contributed by grassroots volunteers. If you would like to share a letter or essay about Constitution Day and the anniversary of 9/11/01, please contact us.