Posted: 12 April 2007 at 8:08pm | IP Logged

What outlet, other than the internet, does the average American have to publicly express concern or even anger over the actions of a Mayor, School Board, Congressman or even the President?

Virtually every Newspaper in the Country has a “letters to the Editor” section, by one name or another and from my understanding are one of the most widely read part of those papers.

In this era of internet blogs instant messaging, chat pages and T.V. many people wrongfully believe that the printed medium is archaic and possibly doomed which is an assumption that I find unrealistic as long as there are people who want more than 30 second sound bites and opinionated conclusions.

I find no fault with the other mediums and though I have my own blog titled www.lewsviews.com I still feel one of the most realistic and popular spots available for the average person to express their opinion concerning a subject that they feel impassioned over is the letters to the editor section of their local or State wide newspaper.

 I have successfully used this printed medium over 150 times and will continue doing so as long as my eyes hold up and the newspapers continue accepting my letters.

The contents of those letters is not the basis for this news letter, but the lessons that I have learned over the past few years are and will hopefully be beneficial regardless of the readers motivation for wanting to have their viewpoint published.

Using the following tips have worked for me with great success. They do not come with any guarantee, but coupled with persistence and a desire to express yourself could be very helpful.

Tip # one

Read the newspaper. Simple but necessary as most newspapers are far more prone to print a letter that pertains to a subject that has recently appeared in their publication and specifically one that is creating controversy.

Tip #two

Never assume that the political leanings of the newspaper will guarantee your letter will be published if you agree with their philosophy or be discarded if you disagree. Despite the popular belief that the News media is tilted in one direction or another, I have found this to be of little consequence in the ‘letters to the editor” section which normally appears on the right side of the editorial page.

Tip #three

Timeliness, which simply means that writing a “letter to the editor” concerning a subject that appeared a week earlier is normally a wasted effort unless the subject is on going or has become a hot topic within the editorial section. I have found it useful to project within my own mind how far into the future a specific subject will be of interest and by taking into account the time factor of my sending the letter and it working its way through the system I can then somewhat determine whether it is current enough to be published and normally I have been right.

Tip #four

Clarity. I can just about guarantee that a letter written with crayon on wide lined paper and filled with misspelled words and little context will never make it to the editorial page of any newspaper that I have had contact with.

Tip #five

Sentence structure and spelling is extremely important in almost every instance and the constant usage of the “spell check” feature of your computer or a dictionary and thesaurus if your not using a computer is a necessity regardless of how proficient your spelling or knowledge of words.

Tip #six

Length of letter, which is determined by the “letters to the editor” rules of each newspaper and should be followed or your letter will normally be rejected. I recently met with the “opinions” editor of a large newspaper who told me that the very first thing he checked when receiving a “letter to the editor”, was length.

Tip #seven

Virtually every newspaper will contact you prior to publishing your letter so be sure that somebody is available at whatever phone number you submit.

I have discovered, much to my chagrin, that the major newspapers will call once then move on to another letter if that call is not answered.

Tip #eight

Substance and originality are of course the most important aspects that will determine whether your letter will be chosen from the many received daily by every newspaper in the country, but I cannot over emphasize the importance of following the previously listed Tips”.

Tip #nine

Be prepared for criticism. This has happened only a few times in my experience but be prepared. Many years ago a very astute politician gave me advice that I have faithfully followed to never mention your opponent by name. Consequently I do not fall into the name calling trap but feel complimented the few times an adverse letter has appeared mentioning me by name, as free publicity is always welcomed.

Tip #10

In keeping with Tip #9

Never get personal unless you are writing about a public figure or publicized incident. In fact I have found it advantageous to simply state your position, why you feel as you do, your facts and if you are sending a follow up simply go into more depth, with more facts. That type 0f approach really frustrates the other side.

Tip #11

When attacking a public figure, administration, policy or writing on a current news item feel free to use the parties name with facts or figures to support your criticism. But NEVER threaten or even insinuate an unlawful action. I believe that the extremely few times I have received negative responses can be attributed to following this rule and even those in opposition to my position find it hard to argue with Truth without looking foolish.

Tip #12

No profanity. Although I am personally not opposed to using a “cuss” word when I feel the need a letter that I want published in “the letters to the editor” is not the place. Again have a good dictionary and thesaurus on hand and make usage of these.

Tip #13

Become involved with a local letters to the editor writers group if there is one in your area. These are normally people who have this one common interest and since they are “popping up” all over the Country, a little research should put you in touch with one, or simply start your own.

Tip # 14

The United States Constitution guarantees every American the right of free speech and I feel it is in fact our duty as citizens to use that right or we will eventually lose it. But nobody has the right to slander or libel another person but when anybody place themselves into the public eye, they become subject to public criticism as well.

Tip # 15

Anonymous letters will probably be rejected. But if you are confident and concerned enough to write the letter you should be proud to affix your name to it.

Tip # 16

Multiple letters. I have had the same letter published in different newspapers on only a couple of occasions and though I do not recommend this, it is possible for an especially “hot” subject. Letters to those in the Congress, on the other hand can be submitted in that fashion since more than likely they will pertain to the same matter. Form letters, on the other hand are virtually guaranteed to hit “file 13”, (the waste basket).

Tip #17

Be prepared for negative feed back. Although this has only happened to me a very few times expect it. My policy is simply to fall back on a policy that adopted many years ago to never become involved in an argument with a fool and continue writing exactly what I continue to get Published, which is the Truth.

Hopefully these tips that have worked successfully for me, will also aid you , but a final Tip and possibly the most important and that is PERSISTENCE.

Good Luck and keep trying.                                                             Lew

**MOST OF THE POSTS ON THIS SITE HAVE APPEARED AS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND IF OU FIND ONE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT YOURSELF, FEEL FREE TO DO SO.  LEW ***************************************************

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