Letters to the Editor
Letters to the editor are an excellent way to share your perspective about an issue that has recently been covered by the media or even an issue that is broader, yet connected to a recent story. They can serve as an important advocacy tool because they offer many benefits. They reach a large audience, are often monitored by elected officials, can bring up information not addressed in a news article, and create an impression of widespread support.
The most successful letters to the editor adhere to the following guidelines:
- Keep it short and focus on one subject. Many papers have length restrictions and limited space.
- Focus on enhancing or spinning off an article or editorial content about service or budget cuts. Make sure to reference a published article as your jumping off point.
- If you can’t respond to a specific article, call on the editors to examine what budget cuts will mean for service groups in the local community.
- Use a personal anecdote, if possible, or hard data about the impact service has on your community.
- Don’t ignore smaller community newspapers. It’s often easier to get coverage in smaller papers.
- Be sure to include your contact information. It allows editors to verify your identity, but will not be printed.
For more tips and to submit your letters online, visit saveservice.org. There you'll find a handy tool that enables you to submit a letter to all your local papers and national ones with one click. Simply enter your zip code to get started.