Sunshine Review:Writing a letter to the editor

From Sunshine Review

Sunshine Review Projects
General information Main project page talk  → Article requests talk  → Cheat sheet talk  → Help talk Portals on SR talk Project banner talk Project category talk Departments Collaboration talk U.S. States talk Outreach talk Peer review talk edit changes

A letter to the editor (sometimes abbreviated LTTE or LTE) is a letter sent to a publication about issues of concern to its readers. This is one way to push government transparency as an issue in your community.

Content

Here are the basics for writing a letter to the editor:

Attract

Start the letter with an anecdote or a surprising fact. This will make it immediately clear to the people reading your letter what your main point is, and why they should care.

Convince

Use the rest of your letter to help readers understand why the change you are requesting (a more open, transparent government) matters to them. How does it impact you, them, your neighbors? Demonstrate the importance of your issue by telling the story of an individual who used the system to take advantage of taxpayers or someone who experienced serious problems as a result of fact blocking.

Inform

Use 2 or 3 key pieces of information to support your issue.

Call to action

Give your readers a specific, achievable way that they can help.

Formatting tips

Be sure to check submission requirements for the newspaper or magazine that you will be submitting your LTE to. Follow up with a phone call to make sure they received the story and ask if it will be published.

Other common tips:

Put your full first and late name, address, phone and/or fax numbers and your e-mail address at the top of the letter. Most publications will want to call and check the authenticity of the letter in order to make sure real names are being used. If you are referring to a previously published letter, identify it by its headline and the date it was published. This enables editors to quickly fact check any references to the past column. Ex. Transparency bill passes in House, Fails in Senate, August 17, 2008 Be timely. If you are responding to a news story or op-ed, send your letter within 48 hours. Always double check your facts.

Avoid cliches. Establish creditability as an author whether it be by stating you are an active member of the community or an expert in a related field. If you have a website, feel free to mention it. Be respectful and keep humor clean. Keep introductions to 2-3 sentences. Don't be greedy. Make the letter original to the publication and if published wait a month before submitting another.

Example LTE

See also:

• Working for accountable government now