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The most important thing in getting a letter published is
to write the letter. If you don't write it, the letter won't get
published. The more often you write, the better. |
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Wherever possible connect your letter to something in the
paper -- a news story, an editorial, or an op ed piece. Papers feel
obligated to correct errors, to be complete in their coverage, and to be
balanced. Refer to the item by the title and the date it appeared. |
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Summarize what you are referring to in the first sentence
or so. |
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Write the letter right away. If possible do it the
same day an item appears that you are commenting on. |
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Keep it short and focused. You only have space for one
big point. The Oregonian has a limit of 150 words. They will only rarely go
over that. |
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Support the letter with facts. |
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Mention your occupation or experience if it is relevant,
"As a health care worker....", "As a veteran..." |
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State your point early in the letter and again at the end
(if that works). |
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Put your name, address and phone number at the bottom or
top of the letter. Papers will call to verify that you are a real person. |
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Give a title to the letter. They may not choose to use
it, but they might and it will influence them. |
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If the letter is about something in the paper, send it to
several places in the paper -the writer, the editor, the public editor, and
the letters section. |
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A special hook, twist, or humor will get your letter
chosen over other letters on the samesubject. |
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Consider sending the same letter to other papers in the
state if it is a state issue, or to national papers such as the New York Times
if it is a national issue. Contact information for Oregon's newspapers can be
obtained at:
http://www.friends.org/issues/M37/LTE-guide.html. |
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If relevant, suggest some action that the readers can
take/ |
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Read the published letters to get an idea of what sort of
thing gets published. |