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Education

Letter to the Editor

Length
Varies
Grade Level
High School

Learning Objectives

Students will write a letter to the editor in response to a recently published article.

Instructional Plan

Letter to the Editor

Most newspapers and magazines print letters to the editor: letters that readers send in, usually in response to recently published articles. These can be a useful way to get your voice heard.

Choose your target wisely: national and big city newspapers get thousands of letters a day and have room to print only a dozen or so. A neighborhood or small town paper will have fewer people writing to it and often more space to devote to printing letters. Whichever publication you choose, make sure to get a copy and look at previous letters to get a sense of what kind of letter that outlet likes to publish.

Some tips

  • Always write in response to an article published in the last few issues. Cite the article by using the headline and day of publication.
  • Agreeing with the article will almost never get you published. Look for something you disagree with, or raise an issue that the article overlooked.
  • Be brief. Often letters are only a few sentences long, although small papers may print longer letters. As a result, you should make just one point in your letter.
  • Be as clear and memorable as possible—editors receive many letters, make yours stand out.
  • If you have a personal experience about the issue or some particular expertise, use it.

Materials