Friday, 4 November 2011

Writing A Letter To The Editor

By Alison Heath


Back when journalism was still young, Americans have practiced the act of writing letters to the editor. Your opinion might make a great change for others. Here are some tips to help you get your letter published:

Keep your letter short. Usually, newspapers and e-zines have limits on the number of words on articles that they print or post. The limit is usually 200 words or less, but there are also those that have 300 words for a limit. If you find these limitations to be too confining, consider offering your thoughts to the editor via an "op-ed" piece.

Keep it "libel-free." You can criticize someone personally, but you may not libel them. Don't expect your letter to receive the light of day if you slander or libel someone. Free speech doesn't mean you can totally say what you want even if it isn't true.

You should not plagiarize. An editorial staff can probably recognize plagiarism in an instant. Speak from your heart, don't quote others unless you are responding specifically to an article or previously submitted letter to the editor.

Show good taste. This is difficult to do. People can have different interpretations of your words. You should make sure you use the right language if you want your letter to be published.

You don't have to follow all the rules for letters to the editor of the newspaper or e-zine. But you should definitely consider the guidelines if you want your letter published.

Please note that you will be required to submit your name, address, and city as well as your phone contact information too. There are editors that will require your name to be shown when they publish your letter. So, think carefully about what you want to have printed as misused verbiage can come back to haunt you later on.




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