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How to Write Effective Letters to the Editor
Like riding a bike or learning to swim, learning to write effective letters to the editor takes practice. The best way to practice is to start writing letters. Every time you do so you will improve your ability to write them quickly and effectively. You will also learn what types of letters get published and which ones do not. By following the tips below you will greatly improve your chances of getting your letter published.
Be brief – Most newspapers receive dozens or even hundreds of letters to the editor every week. As a result, keeping the length of your letter to a minimum will increase the likelihood it will be published. National newspapers such as the New York Times and the Washington Post require letters to be between 150-200 words.
Make only one main point – Don’t try to communicate everything you know about an issue in a letter to the editor. Instead, focus on only one main point.
Cite evidence to support your main point – Once you have chosen your strongest argument you should provide evidence to support it. For example, if you are writing a letter in response to your city council’s decision to provide government services in foreign languages, your main point might be that that council should instead pass a law making English the official language. You might cite the following as evidence that doing so would be a good idea:
- Hundreds of local and county governments in the U.S. have already passed laws making English the official language.
- Canada is being torn apart by two official languages, French and English. The longer we wait to recognize English as the sole official language of our city, the more we run the risk of importing the same divisions over language we see in Canada.
Mention the article that prompted you to write – Begin your letter by mentioning the newspaper article or editorial that prompted you to write. For example:
- Regarding your Aug. 23 article "It's Not Immigrants, Just Population:”
- Your Sept. 17 editorial, “English-only hurts immigrants,” wrongly assumes that providing government documents in foreign languages helps immigrants.
- Re: "Bilingual ballots spark controversy," by Rolf Ernst, Aug. 27.
Include your contact information in the letter – Most newspapers require that you include your full name, address, city, and business and home phone numbers with your letter. Newspapers need this information so they can contact you if your letter is selected for publication, and to confirm that you wrote it. Your address and phone number will not be published.
Follow your newspaper’s guidelines for submitting letters to the editor – Almost every newspaper has a website. Guidelines on submitting letters to the editor can usually be found on the “opinion” or “editorials” page of a newspaper website. Be sure to review submission requirements, including maximum length, contact information required, and the email address where letters should be sent.
Submit your letter via email or through the newspaper’s website – Most letters to the editor are submitted via email or through a form on the newspaper’s website. Submitting your letter using the Internet increases the chances it will be published. This is because it can be approved and printed much closer to the time the article it responds to appeared in the newspaper. Letters sent by postal mail are also accepted, especially by smaller publications that may not have websites.
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