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Writing Letters To Editor (Notes & Samples)

Letters to the editor are written by individuals to share opinions on current issues with the public. They play an important role in highlighting issues, inaccuracies, and calling for action. To increase the chances of being published, letters should be timely, address one issue, reference the topic or article, state the position in the first sentence, support the position with facts, and include contact details. Guidelines include word limits, submitting typewritten letters, and double checking for errors before sending.

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333 views

Writing Letters To Editor (Notes & Samples)

Letters to the editor are written by individuals to share opinions on current issues with the public. They play an important role in highlighting issues, inaccuracies, and calling for action. To increase the chances of being published, letters should be timely, address one issue, reference the topic or article, state the position in the first sentence, support the position with facts, and include contact details. Guidelines include word limits, submitting typewritten letters, and double checking for errors before sending.

Uploaded by

Zahirul Haq
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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WRITING LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

What are letters to the editor?


1. Letters to the editor are principally letters written by individuals to share their
opinions on current issues with the general public, or the readers of a
newspaper/magazine. The letters are written to the media to provide an
opportunity for anyone who reads the newspaper or magazines to express an
opinion about a specific issue to a large audience.
2. Although the opinions in these letters are those of the individual writers, they play
an important role in highlighting issues of public concern, inaccuracies and
injustices besides providing additional information as well as request for
immediate actions. On other instances, letters to the editor can also educate the
public about certain issues or reply to other letters.
3. Letters to the editor are an effective means in influencing or shifting public
opinion on matters of importance. They comment on events and printed news by
bringing in fresh perspectives and analysis that may differ from those of the writer
of the news.
4. Editors are busy people, and printing space in the newspaper is limited.
Therefore, to give your letter a good chance of getting selected for publishing,
you need to tailor your letter as closely as possible to the requirements of the
newspaper. In general, keep in mind the following guidelines:
a)

The decision to share reader feedback is predicated on the quality of the


writing, the timeliness, the relevance to the source article (including the
correction of content errors), and an ethical standard that prohibits
profanity, slander, and commentary that could be construed as selfpromotion.

b)

Study the submission guidelines carefully. These are located on the


editorial page of the newspaper, and the guidelines will specify where the
letter should be sent. A word limit may be listed as well. It's imperative you
treat the editor with respect. Adhere to whatever rules which have been
set forth if you want to see your letter in print. It is imperative that you
submit type-written letters only.

c)

You are advised to address only ONE issue in a letter.

d)

Reference the general topic or specific news article (plus date) in your
letter subject line. The editor will appreciate easy reference. Refrain from
labeling your letter as "Expedite", "Urgent" or "Rush". (You'd be surprised
how many people do this in the mistaken belief it will get them faster
attention.)

e)

Newspaper editors look for letters that are timely, that is letters that relate
to recent events, preferably events that have been reported in the same
week. Thus, you should write your letter to the editor as soon as you
have read the news article that prompts you to share your opinion with
the public.

f)

Declare your position or opinion in the first sentence of your letter. This is
important as it lets the editor know a lot about your letter from the first
sentence, and it can be a great hook to gain the interest of the editor.

g)

Support your opening statement with facts that are accurate to the best of
your knowledge. List the date, the headline, the page number. A writer
can often spend all of his words reiterating his emotions. It is a better
approach to offer new information that could potentially educate, influence
or inspire your fellow readers. Apart from facts, you can also use figures,
dates and comparisons to support your position or opinion.

h)

Recap your opinion, observation or concern in your final sentence. This


ties everything neatly together from start to finish.

i)

Share your letter with several friends before you hit the send button. Extra
pairs of eyes will help catch mistakes that you may have missed. Doublecheck your word count too!

j)

Include your complete contact information. This means that you should
include your name, street address, phone number, and email so that an
editor can follow up with you if necessary. It's the policy of many
newspapers not to accept pseudonyms or publish letters as
"Anonymous." Anonymous letters will not be published.

SAMPLE OF CURRENT ISSUE 1

Source of news: ________________________


Date of news:

________________________

SAMPLE OF LETTER TO THE EDITOR 1


13 June 2010

Date

Dear Editor

Salutation: eg. To the Editor


Sir

Re: The rich not doing enough to help

Heading

(signed)

Signature

Marisa Demori

Personal details:

123, Jalan Puteri

name, address, phone


number

Desa Puteri

Ipoh, Perak
012 3456789

SAMPLE OF CURRENT ISSUE 2

Source of news: ____________________


Date of news:

____________________

SAMPLE OF LETTER TO THE EDITOR 2


13 June 2010

Date

Dear Editor

Salutation: eg. To the Editor


Sir

Re: Focus on immigrants instead

Heading

(signed)

Signature

Marisa Demori

Personal details:

123, Jalan Puteri

name, address, phone


number

Desa Puteri
Ipoh, Perak
012 3456789
IMPORTANT:
1. The opening sentence/paragraph states your reaction to a particular news report/
article/editorial that you have read in the newspaper/magazine, or a current
issue. State clearly the specific issue or aspect of the issue you are reacting to,
and your position to it. DO NOT provide a lengthy summary of the article.
2. Your opinion towards a news report/ article/editorial is your TOPIC SENTENCE of
the letter.
3. The middle paragraph(s) present(s) your arguments supporting your
opinion/position/analysis of the issue. Logical reasoning, personal experience,
and statistics can be used. Provide specific details to convince the reader.
4. The closing/conclusion may propose a solution, state what action you want the
reader to take, or simply reiterate the point you are arguing for.
The content of this section is excerpted and edited from How to Write Letters to the
Editor by Christina Hamlett. http://www.ehow.com/how_2363717_write-letterseditor-.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

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