Letters to the Editor
How to Submit a Letter to the Editor and Get Published
To submit a letter to the editor for publication in a local news paper:
- 200 or fewer words
- In writer’s own words
- Free from libel
- In good taste
- In a timely manner
- By email preferred over fax or post office mail
- Many newspapers will not publish letters that are not exclusive to them. Do not broadcast your letter to multiple newspapers.
Letters must include:
- Writer’s full name
- Address, city and zip code
- Daytime phone number for verification. Only name and city will be printed.
- Writers email address
They do not accept:
- Poetry
- Medical praise
- Consumer complaints
- Religious tracts
- Letters from writers outside their circulation area
- Letters with unverified facts or vulgarity
Letters will be edited for clarity, grammar and length. No more than one letter from a contributor will be published in a 30-day period.
Writing guidelines To reply to a letter to the editor or an op-ed: Refute point by point:
By answering each point made with a statement that takes the opposite approach.
Example: Republican:
More worrisome, the Pelosi budget undermines the basic tenets of the U.S. economy – free markets, targeted but limited regulation and entrepreneurship.
Democratic reply:
While entrepreneurship should be encouraged we need strong regulation that prevents markets from going out of control enriching a few people at the expense of many people.
A letter can address the majority of statements or the most important statements.
Another type of reply letter can address the overall philosophy of the original letter and point out how it takes the country in the wrong direction.
Original letters:
Original letters should address a topic that is current and has a variety of viewpoints. It should concentrate on one subject and be based on facts. Rather than guess numbers, dates, etc. the writer should look them up and be prepared to back them up.
