Write Your Local Newspaper

Letters to the editor are great advocacy tools. After you send email to your Idaho legislators, sending letters to the editor can achieve other advocacy goals because they:

• reach a large audience.
• are often monitored by elected officials.
• can bring up information not addressed in local news.

Use the following guide when writing to the editor of a publication.

Keep it short and on one subject. Many newspapers have strict limits on the length of letters and have limited space to publish them. Keeping your letter brief will help assure that your important points are not cut out by the newspaper.

Be sure to include your contact information. Many newspapers will only print a letter to the editor after calling the author to verify his or her identity and address. Newspapers will not give out that information, and will usually only print your name and city should your letter be published.

Make references to the newspaper. While some papers print general commentary, many will only print letters that refer to a specific article. Here are some examples of easy ways to refer to articles in your opening sentence:

• I was disappointed to see that The Statesman’s May 18 editorial “School Vouchers Are Right On” omitted some of the key facts in the debate.
• I strongly disagree with (author’s name) narrow view on education funding alternatives. (“Name of Op-Ed,” date)
• I am deeply saddened to read that Congressman Doe is working to roll back affirmative action. (“Title of Article,” date)

If you get published, please let us know.