CharityVillage® Research: Run a mile with a column inch: how and why to write letters to the editor

Resources & Library

Path: Main Street : Resources & Library : Research Articles : Feature Article

Run a mile with a column inch: how and why to write letters to the editor
By Andrea Uzans, IMPACS
May 22, 2001
Scenario One: You note with excitement as you read the morning paper that an issue which concerns you is making headlines. Reading further your excitement gives way to dismay as you realize that the news item provides only one angle, is missing important information, is providing minimal space to a serious issue or is misrepresenting you or the issue.
Scenario Two: A big anniversary or event such as Earth Day or the World Women’s March 2000, is coming up and there is little or no media coverage.

You feel you must respond.

Writing a letter to the editor is an effective and virtually cost-free way to draw attention to issues your organization represents. The editorial page is one of the most widely read sections of the newspaper. Politicians, business leaders, your neighbours and other members of the media read this section to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues. Writing a letter is something anyone can do. Getting your letter printed is the challenge! Follow these steps to editorial page letter-writing success.

(1) Determine length and format guidelines, deadlines for submissions and who to address your letter to. This information is usually printed on the editorial page of your paper. Editors like creative, concise and insightful commentary.

(2) Make your first sentence, also known as the lead, short, compelling and catchy. You can do this by making a play on words, using alliteration, or drawing an unlikely comparison. Your goal is to grab the editor's, and then the reader's attention.

(3) Give your side of the story. Provide a human focus. Let readers know how the issue will affect them or others. Provide little known statistics or cast the issue in a new light.

(4) Let readers and elected representatives know what action you want them to take on the issue: do you want readers to contact a politician, vote a certain way or join in a demonstration? Do you want elected representatives to change a by-law or introduce a new policy?

Try some of the following tips to increase the impact of your message and make your letter more effective.

To increase the chance that your issue will be brought to the attention of relevant policy makers, use the names of the politicians responsible for the issue within your letter. Urge readers to support your position by contacting elected officials to let them know how they feel about the issue.

Have someone who is directly affected by the issue write or sign the letter to the editor. For example, if you are writing in response to education spending, have a student sign. Or find a surprising or unlikely party. For instance, if you are supporting cuts to defense spending, have a retired soldier sign the letter.

In some cases you may want to work your organization’s name into the text of the letter or sign the letter with your affiliation to the organization (board member, staff, volunteer). In others, your letter may have more impact if it is seen as coming from just an average citizen. Weigh this decision carefully.

Target several newspapers and magazines in your area and tailor your letter to each medium. Since you are going to the trouble of writing a good letter, why not have it published a dozen times?
So now you've written and sent a letter which conforms to the publication's guidelines. It's concise, compelling, and provides new angles or information on the issue of the day. You're not finished yet. You need to do some follow-up:

Your letter didn't get printed. Don't despair, you can submit a revised letter with a new angle the next time similar issues are in the news. You should also ask yourself: Was your letter timely and of interest? Did you have anything new to add or was it a repetition of already published views? Was a similar letter published instead? Remember that newspapers and magazines receive many letters and cannot print them all.

Your letter was printed! Keep an eye on the editorial page to determine the response to your letter. Clip the letter, photocopy it on an 8 _ by 11 sheet of paper with the newspaper’s masthead and publication date. Now fax or mail copies to the municipal, provincial and federal agencies that address the issue, to your funders, major donors and to members of your board with a personal note attached. This is an important and often overlooked step in building your organization’s credibility and public profile.

Following is an example of a letter, written by a Results Canada volunteer, Alan Cassels. Results Canada is a 100% volunteer-driven organization that, in 1999 had 312 media successes – primarily letters to the editor and opinion articles.
The New York Times (use banner font if possible)

Wednesday, July 14, 1999

To the editor:

Re: "A need for Foreign Aid" (editorial, July 11)

When foreign assistance is funneled into programs that reduce population growth, provide health and education for the world’s poorest people and contribute to the fight against the spread of diseases, we all benefit.

A classic example is polio. The United States spends about $270 million a year on immunization against this disease, which has been eradicated in the Western Hemisphere but is still active in parts of Asia and Africa. The World Health Organization reports that if donor countries like Canada and the United States collectively spent about $370 million a year over five years to immunize every child in the world, this disease would be completely eradicated.

If the push were made to eradicate polio, as was done for smallpox, the world would save about $1.5 billion a year in not having to immunize its children.

Alan Cassels
The writer is a health policy researcher.
Reprinted from 'Activate', the quarterly journal of IMPACS, the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society. Spring, 2000. For more information, visit www.impacs.org or call 1-877-232-0122.