How to Write a Letter to the Editor

Are you really passionate about worker rights in Colombia or about the rights of women? Have you spotted inaccurate or biased news in a recent news article?

Speak up and write a letter to the editor! Writing a letter to the editor can make a difference because it is a great advocacy tool. Your letter to the editor can reach a large audience and bring up information not included in a news article. According to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), the letters page is one of the most carefully read sections of a paper. It is also the page many elected officials go to gain a perspective on public opinion. You can piggy back off of Mother's Day or other flower-centered occasions to make the point that flower workers, most of whom are women, deserve a better life.

Don't know how to write a letter to the editor?
USLEAP can help:

1) Make your letter timely - Your letter should address a recent article or event. Preferably send your letter no more than a day after the article was published.

2) Keep your letter brief - Make one or two points, clearly and concisely, within the first sentence or paragraph. This reflects confidence.

3) Be factual - Include relevant facts and support them.

4) Do not attack - Avoid outright attacks on the newspaper or journalist.

5) Be witty! - Your letter will be more engaging and more memorable.

6) Include your name, phone number and address. This is so editors can verify you wrote the letter and not someone else.

7) Check format requirements - Format and length requirements vary from paper to paper.

Letter to the Editor Guidelines

• Check out the guidelines for the newspaper you're writing to so that your letter is more likely to be published and so you know where to send your letter.
• Here are Guidelines to a few major newspapers:

New York Times [1]
Washington Post [2]
Chicago Tribune [3]
USA Today [4]
The Wall Street Journal [5]
Los Angeles Times [6]

The basic form of your letter...

To the editor:

Your February 14 editorial (or give page number) article on (describe the article here) overlooked an important point.

OR

I was disappointed to see that The Time's February 14 editorial "[Title]" failed to include key facts in the debate.

Explain why and give a couple of concise examples.

Close with a punchy one-liner.

"Colombia opened the door to foreign investment, and slammed the door on fair wages, safety and respect for workers."

Letter Resources
FAIR Toolkit [7]
FAIR - How to detect bias [8]
FAIR - Media contacts [9]