A letter to editor is a way to communicate your views and concerns to a newspaper or other publication. Typically, letters are printed in response to a news item or an opinion editorial (op-ed) that has recently appeared in the paper; they can also be used to raise awareness about a specific issue. Letters can be written to express support for or against a particular issue and can use facts, emotions, or both to convince readers.
Generally, letters to the editor are kept short, and most publications will publish only those that are within a certain word limit. Be sure to follow the word count guidelines for your publication; it’s not uncommon for editors to cut letters down even further than published length. Letters should be written in your own words; otherwise, you may be charged with libel if you make false statements.
Your contact information (name, town of residence, daytime phone number, and email address) should be included in the body of your letter. Most print publications will not publish letters from unidentified sources; including your contact information allows the editor to confirm that you wrote the letter and can assist with any inquiries about it.
Read over your letter several times to check for spelling and grammatical errors. If you can, ask a friend to read it, too. Whenever possible, submit your letter via e-mail instead of by postal mail; it is much easier for the editor to process and print your letter this way.
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