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According to Moveon.org and the ACLU, letters to the editor are the most-read pages in the newspaper, plus are read by politicians as indicators of public opinion. You never know who you are going to reach: A movie-maker? An activist organization which shares your ideas with others? It’s a network out there, so your letters are a really good way to make a difference: Go for it!
“But I’m not that great a writer. My letter to the editor will never be printed”.
And I am here to tell you that this is not my experience. I have penned so many letters to the editor that I‘ve lost track, and about 70% have been printed. That is not meant to sound self-congratulatory: Far from it. Instead, my wish is to encourage people, stressing that it may be easier to be published than most people may think.
Editors are interested in representing a cross-sector of public opinion, to be as non-biased as possible. In my experience, they print letters which show a new “slice” on something: IE new insights, new interpretations of events, some research done, etc. Offering the hope is something which people really need to hear, making the best and most-likely-to-be-printed material of all. As well as the most effective!
If you are still running gun-shy of writing a letter yourself, consider a house party in which all present write letters. Participants can elect to read their letters out loud, getting feedback from the group. That way, not only do you end up with an edited letter, but you also know how the public is likely to react to your letter, based on the reaction from the group. This could be encouraging, very instructive and fun besides!
Here is a wonderful website with quotes from our founding fathers, politicians etc. These make excellent quotes for your letter and may support your statement:
(Please note that you might have to google this website, since the compiler wrote that it may not be on the web forever. So be sure to make a back-up copy! It's excellent).
Here a few tips for writing letters to the editor:
A) Keep them down to 250 words or less.
B) Smaller, local papers usually don’t mind being carbon-copied the same letter. But larger and more mainstream newspapers will want to be the only source to have printed your letter. So be sure to write a separate version to the larger papers, if you also choose to carbon-copy another version of your letter to the local newspapers.
C) Word-trimming tips:
Use all-encompassing words instead of wordy phrases, as possible
Eliminate adjectives if you are out of space
D) All letters to the editor MUST have your name, address and phone number, which will only be used to verify your authenticity. Your address and phone number will not be printed.
HOW TO CATCH EDITORS’ AND THE PUBLIC’S EYES WITH YOUR LETTERS:
A) Write from your heart. Heart-level makes itself felt. (But be sure to edit out angry words, which only turn people off. Fact-based content can make strong statements, and is instructive to your readers besides. Offer the facts and let people conclude what they themselves think/feel).
B) An opening statement with catchy wording, which contains or summarizes the main theme of your presentation, can do wonders when it is possible to do that. But it’s not required.
C) Try to identify and rebut commonly-held beliefs in the mainstream public, such as “Just let them wiretap me: I have done nothing wrong, so I’ve got nothing to hide” or “It will never happen to me/you,“ etc. (Even these statements can make good eye-catching openers to your letter).
D) Offer the hope. Depression governs our masses and to share the solution is key to spawning proactivity.
E) Always quote your sources, to give credibility to your statements.
GO FOR IT AND GOOD LUCK! AND THANKS FOR HELPING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! :-) :-) :-)
