Tips
for writing a letter
The
letters to the editor section of your local paper is an ideal forum for sharing
your opinion and story with the local community. In addition, it is one of
the first pages many elected officials turn to. Letters to the editor show
that an issue is of concern to the community and are excellent tools for
education. Here are a few guidelines for getting your letter to the editor
printed.
- Localize
your letter -- explain how civil marriage equality will affect you or
people you know in your community. Include examples of discrimination
you or others have faced as a result of discriminatory marriage laws.
- Make
your letter timely - if the newspaper has recently printed a story or
column about the issue of marriage and same-sex couples, you can
reference the article and use it as a springboard for your letter.
- Keep
your letter short and to the point -- 250 words maximum.
- Your
letter should carry its most important message in the first paragraph.
- Include
your name, address and daytime phone number. Editors like to call
to confirm that the letter was actually written by the person whose name
appears on the letter.
- Limit
the number of points you make, and stay on the same subject.
Don't
be disappointed if your letter does not get printed. Newspapers get many
letters every day and can't print all of them. Most papers won't print the
same writers over and over again. Therefore, if you have had a letter
published recently, try to get a friend or co-worker to sign the next one.
|
