Writing Letters to the Editor

The letters-to-the-editor page appears in the commentary or opinion section of most newspapers and attracts a great deal of attention from members of the community, including policymakers.

Letters to the editor offer community members an opportunity to express their opinions on local or national issues as well as on stories that appeared in the paper.

Here are some tips for writing a letter to the editor:

• Find out the newspaper’s guidelines for letters to the editor. Most papers have a limit of 100-250 words.
  
  
• Remember to provide readers with a short and precise overview of the issue you are addressing in your letter.
  
  
• Include your full name, address, and phone number at the top of the letter and a signature at the bottom. Many papers will not print a letter that is not signed.
  
  
• Submit your letter by email, fax, or mail.
  
  
• Stay away from personal attacks.
  
  
• Write short paragraphs.
  
  
• Your letter has a better chance of being published if it is a response to an article that recently appeared in the paper. It is best to respond as quickly as possible via email or fax.
  
  
• It is okay to write a letter responding to another letter that appeared in the paper.
  
  
• If your letter has not been published a week after you submitted it, call or e-mail the editorial page editor or opinion page editor to find out why your letter has not appeared.