LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
How to Get Your Letter to the Editor Published
The most important criteria for getting your letter to the editor
published, is to follow the newspaper’s guidelines
precisely.
If the guidelines are met, there is a very good chance
your letter will be published.
Conversely, if the guidelines are not met, the letter will not be
considered for publication. The Contra Costa Times publishes
a weekly summary
of letters received. A typical recent summary in- cluded the following:
128 letters received - 77 met the criteria and 51 did not; mostly
because they had no verification phone number or were too long.
Guidelines are routinely included on the Opinion page of your
newspaper
and on your newspaper’s website. Standard guidelines include:
-
Word limit
-
Frequency limit
- Submission due date (special feature responses only)
- Inclusion of name, address and telephone number
- Email submission is generally preferred. Attachments will not be opened; the letter must be included within the text.
Dan Hatfield, Contra Costa Times Opinion Page editor, provided general information which, we believe, holds true for most publications:
- The Times likes to publish a broad spectrum of letters, reflecting thoughts of the community, at large. It is to their advantage to do so.
- They do not reject letters based on viewpoints and opinions expressed; political or otherwise.
- Letters may be edited if they contain grossly inaccurate information (statistics, for example). In general, however, facts and figures are not confirmed/edited by the Times.
- When the opinion pages fill up quickly, as they do near election times, for example, letters meeting the guidelines are published first come, first served.
The content
of your letters depends on what issues are of concern to you. People
are generally mot- invited to start writing letters when
particular issues really begin to irritate them. Our purpose is to convey our
point-of-view and convince others to our way of thinking, via articulation
of facts. Be assured that people do read these letters. I am constantly
running into acquaintances, on the tennis court, at the gym, at retiree
events, who comment on my letters. This is a way we can make a difference
at the grass- roots level, sitting in the comfort of our home office,
making our voices heard. Won’t you take the challenge and join
the fun??
Sandy Gregory
San Ramon Valley RWF
Northern Division Chairman, Power
of the Pen
The
Nuts and Bolts of Letter Writing
How does one set about writing a letter to the editor? Well, for me, it started when I got all fired up regarding the AARP, which professes to represent what is best for al of us oldsters. In order to start your one letter writing campaign, I suggest you sit down with your local newspaper or news program; when you read or hear a story that makes your blood boil...that’s your topic! It won’t take long. For example, how about the recent news regarding state Senate President Pro Tem Perata’s candy apple red Dodge Charger? This flashy vehicle with its ultra-flashy 22 inch rims is funded by taxpayer dollars to the tune of $350 to $500 per month, plus maintenance and gas. Do you have an opinion about that which you’d like to share with other California taxpayers?
Or, how about a response to the guy who recently wrote, “What exactly are we as Americans supposed to be proud of?” I don’t know about you, but I can think of a gazillion things about America and Amer- icans that I’m proud of...can’t you?
Of course, facts and figures galore are
available on the internet, and I think it’s a good idea to
write factually, rather than emotionally, if we want o persuade
others to our way to thinking.
When writing letters to the editor, it is mandatory to adhere to the
newspaper’s
guidelines, which will usually be published on the editorial page and/or
the paper’s website. Guidelines generally include length of the
letter, submission deadline, and the writer’s contact information.
Most newspapers now prefer electronic submission, with letter included
as text, not
attachment. Editors have told me that, if the guidelines are followed,
there is a very, very good chance the letter will be published. If
guidelines are not followed, the letter will definitely not be published.
There are two myths associated with letters to the editor that I would
like to try to dispel. The first is: the paper won’t publish
my letters because I’m writing pro-Republican stuff, which is
contrary to my Democrat-leaning newspaper. I have heard that so many
times, but my personal experience and dis- cussion with newspaper editors
says otherwise. Editors say they want to publish many viewpoints in
their columns and they do not weed out letters expressing this or that
viewpoint. My letters, which are strongly right leaning, are nearly
always published. I express the Republican point of view and I always
follow the guidelines. The second myth is: nobody reads the letters
anyway so why should I bother? I am frequently surprised at the number
of acquaintances I run into who tell me that they read my letters to
the editor. These are often people whom I see only occasionally or
rarely. They might agree with my point of view, or they might not.
They might be Republicans or they might be Democrats. It often provides
an opportunity to open a dialogue with those on the other side in a
friendly
discussion of Republican logic. People whom I see regularly begin to
comment on my letters ~ tennis or gym buddies, church or social acquaintances.
Again, they
might be Democrats, but they know me as a friendly, active interested Republican
and most are very open to discussion of ideas based on what I have
written and they have read.
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to submit a letter to the
editor every month of 2008. Won’t you join me in that effort;
perhaps even organize a “Power of the Pen” contest within
your home club and/or among the RWG Clubs in your Region. Republican
Women...now is the time...it's the week, it’s the month, and
it’s the year to make our voices heard!
Sandy Gregory, San Ramon Valley RWF
Northern Division Chairman, Power of the Pen
January 2008
A
Conservative’s Choice
Conservative Republicans across the nation are concerned that John
McCain
is not conservative enough to carry the party mantle. Some have said
they would
vote for a Democrat rather than McCain, or that they would not vote
at all.
Well, let’s get our priorities straight. Let us agree that national
security is
the #1 job for our President. If our citizens and our country are not
secure,
everything else is for naught. If we agree that national security is
the #1 job for our
President, John McCain is the obvious choice.
We can fritter away the power of our votes and allow the Democrats
to take
charge of our country. Then we could enjoy socialized medicine, increased
taxes
on the “rich” and not-so-rich, a precipitous withdrawal
from Iraq, income
redistribution and increasing government intervention at every level.
Or we can
seriously consider the alternatives and cast our votes accordingly.
There is no candidate who can be all things to all people. But we must
focus
on the bigger picture and elect the candidate who shares our basic
philosophy.
McCain may not be conservative enough to please everyone, but he’s
a whole lot
more conservative than any Democrat would be.
Sandy Gregoy
