Letters to the Editor/Op-Eds: A Primer

Many young people believe they should have the right to vote, believe that they should have more representation in government. Many just want to be heard! Most of them, however, do not know what to do. Many do not know where to turn or even that organizations exist to support a lowered voting age and to allow youth participation in the political world. Some people, both young and old, believe that it's ludicrous for youth to want a voice and a vote. Youth suffrage, like women suffrage, is certainly a controversial issue. We can use this support, this opposition, and even this controversy to spread the word about youth equality. This can be done cheaply, and easily. Thirty minutes of your time can reach over 300 people! HOW? Letters to the Editor!

There is only one way to make sure your local paper prints your views exactly -- and that is to write them yourself! The Editorial PAge is one of the most popular sections of the daily newspapers. You should write a letter whenever you have an important message to get across (youth suffrage), see a slanted news story or headline or need to respond to an anti-youth editorial, letter or column.

Why a Letter to the Editor?

• It is easy to write: A letter-to-the-editor should not be more than 250 words
• It has a good chance of getting printed: The "Letters" section is the reader's forum
• Letters have power in numbers: Even if your letter is not published, a flood of letters from the community cannot be ignored by any editor.

When is a Letter-to-the-Editor appropriate?

• Supporting key legislation: Show your Members of Congress, and local legislators, that you support them when they support youth, and encourage those who are uncommitted to take action.
• Supporting new initiatives: Encourage legislators, students, and others to support the right for youth to vote, youth suffrage and YouthSpeak.
• Correcting slanted or inaccurate news coverage: When your local newspaper does not report news about youth fairly or accurately, set the record straight with a letter.
• Responding to hostile editorials or letters: Do not let critics of youth go unanswered. Write a letter-to-the-editor with your views on youth and democracy.
• Praising an editorial or news item: Highlighting a good article or editorial multiples the positive impact of the original message.
• Commemorating significant anniversaries: Write a letter using key events as launching points for discussion of important principles. When an Operation Register event was in your area, or any area, and when election day cometh make sure it's known that youth are not voting ... but want to. Provide an interesting piece of information you can link to a recent news story or editorial, if you can.

How Do I Get My Letter Published?

• Look for instructions for faxing, mailing or e-mailing letters-to-the-editor on the editorial page of your local paper. Mark your envelope of letter: ATTENTION: Letters-to-the-Editor.
• Be sure to include your name as you would like it printed, as well as your address and home and daytime telephone numbers. Your phone number is important, because editors sometimes wish to check facts or the identity of the author.
• Call the editorial page editor 3 days after you have mailed or 1 day after you have faxed or e-mailed your letter to confirm that they received it. Ask if they plan to publish your letter. If they do not plan to run your letter, listen to their reasons why, and try to address their concerns with your next letter.

Guidelines for Writing An Effective Letter-to-the-Editor

• Be timely: Your letter should be mailed immediately when an important issue arises, or after the publication of a problematic news story or editorial. It may take up to 30 days for a newspaper to publish a letter.
• Use facts: The facts are your best weapon in the war of the printed word. Including a fact, statistic or quote strengthens the credibility of your argument and educates your readers.
• Remain focused: Confine your letters-to-the-editor to a single issue.
• Be concise: Delete unnecessary phrases or words. A short letter has a better chance of being published. Better you should edit it than an editor who might dilute or distort your main point. The letter should be no more than 250 words.
• Reason with the reader: Keep your message factual and discussion logical. Expressing hostility or bitterness will undermine your credibility.
• Set your own agenda: Your letter is your forum. Do not waste precious words repeating the charges in the story to which you are replying or the arguments of the other side.
• Be aware of eye appeal: Keep your paragraphs short. Narrow newspaper columns make long paragrahs seem longer and uninviting.
• Use interesting and engaging language: Spark the reader's interest with an intriguing opening sentence. Close it with a sentence that leaves the reader remembering your point.

Comments

Good letters should be:

1. Timely
2. Local Hook
3. Factual
4. Brief: Under 250 Words

Bad letters:

1. Fail to Set An Agenda
2. Do Not Educate The Reader
3. Are Full of Emotion, but no facts
4. Are all Negative, No Positive.

(The Above Taken from an AIPAC packet)

Check the guidelines for each individual paper that you write to. The above is only a guideline.

Back to YouthSpeak

Op-eds are great ways to reach people and inform them of youth suffrage. It is a lot harder for individuals to get Op-eds published (most large papers do not accept unsolicited contributions), but if you do get published you can reach more people. Of course it also takes longer to get Op-eds published.

(Adopted from an AIPAC paper on Op-Eds)

Tips on getting an op-ed published

• Send in your op-ed, typed, double-spaced, to the op-ed page editor, with a short cover letter that states the topic of your op-ed.
• The op-ed should be no more than 750 words and should not contain any spelling or grammatical errors.
• Do not rant and rave in your op-ed. Highly emotional diatribes will get tossed in the trash. Be factual. Back up assertions with facts.
• Do not write in the first person, unless it is a personal column or story about your own experience.
• Give it a local angle. It is more likely to be printed if it has local relevance or is of particular interest to a segment of the local population.
• Sign whatever you write, and include your address and a daytime phone number in case the editor needs to contact you.
• Follow up with a phone call to the editor of the op-ed page. Be polite; do not demand that your article be printed.
• Several papers, including most of the top papers, do not accept unsolicited op-eds. In that case, you should first call the editor to pitch your idea. If the editor accepts your idea, work with the editor during the editing process to ensure that your words not editied inappropriately.

(The above adopted from an AIPAC paper)

Back to YouthSpeak

Relevant Links: A Letter from Keith: YouthSpeak & Letters to the Editor (lte.html)

YouthSpeak Home Page - http://www.oblivion.net/youthspeak/

All information from AIPAC is reprinted with permission. This page Copyright 1998 by its respective owners. It may be reproduced without modification.

YouthSpeak: Avi Hein, http://www.oblivion.net/youthspeak - July 28, 1998