Writing a Letter to the Editor

A letter to the editor is a tool to respond to an article that was published in a newspaper or other media. Following are some tips to help get your letter to the editor published.

• Be Current. Your letter to the editor should be related to a recent event or published article. If you have an issue that you are pressed to write about quickly, search the Internet for newspapers that might have published a recent article on your topic.
• Be concise. Keep your letter short and to the point. You will never see a letter to the editor that is more than four or five paragraphs, or 250 words. Be concise and to the point. After writing you letter re-read it and ask someone else to read it, too.
• Be controversial. If you don’t agree with the facts stated in an article or a quote in the article, feel free to question them. Just remember, when you challenge a position, you should support your view with facts and not let your emotions get in the way.
• Identify yourself. Your letter will not be published if you do not identify yourself and provide contact information. Newspapers use this information to verify that you are the person who wrote the letter. Letters to the editor must be signed. They can be faxed or mailed to the newspaper.
• Be diligent. Send your letter to the editor to more than one newspaper to increase its chance of being published.

Example letter to the editor to be used in response to articles about work support programs

Example letter to the editor to be used in response to articles focusing on families with multiple barriers to employment

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