The Ultimate Guide to Getting a Letter to the Editor in the Newspaper

The Internet and blogs have made it extremely simple to publish your opinions and spread them - theoretically worldwide - but getting any attention beyond friends and family can be frustrating. The Internet has a great future, but your local newspaper, for now, reliably reaches hundreds, thousands or millions of readers every day, depending on whether you live in New York or Krebs, Oklahoma.

If you say it in a printed newspaper, readers are built in. Plus, you're likely to reach the movers and shakers - government officials, civic leaders, activists and the like-minded - who pick up their local newspapers on their front yard or porch every day. Getting in print is still the gold standard for getting noticed locally.

Rule No. 1 - Read the newspaper's rules on letters. These are usually printed on the editorial/opinion page. Typically, they tell readers to avoid personal attacks. For example, don't call someone a jackass for his or her opinion - it might be amusing, but making an impact based on facts is more important. Newspapers usually leave reader-to-reader "flaming" to the Internet.

Letter-writing rules also usually limit the length to a certain number of words. Editorial pages impose a word limit because they frequently get many more letters than they have room to print on one or two pages.

Newspapers will also want to verify your identity. This prevents pranksters from manipulating public opinion. Give them your name, address and phone numbers and expect them to call.

Rule No. 2 - Be timely. Newspapers focus on the new. If a subject is written about on one day, newspapers would like to see the reaction the next day. If you read a newspaper story and want to comment on it, do it on the same day and fax or e-mail it to the editorial page. If you read the story at 8 a.m. and can write a response by noon, all the better. Newspaper editors often pick the earliest submissions so that they can lay out their pages for the next day.

Rule No. 3 - Stick to one point. Although a new Super-Mart in town may cause controversy, focusing on your most significant complaint, or reason for support, is the best choice. If you fear traffic jams, focus on that. If you think you'll save money with new competition in town, explain that.

Rule No. 4 - Personalize your letter. Newspapers make an effort to cover as many opinions as possible in their news coverage. The rule of thumb for a good newspaper is not to cover "both sides," it's to cover all sides. Keep up with the issue and observe whether your points have been raised by a citizen or elected official in another part of the paper. If so, you're less likely to get published. However, if you can raise a new point, or a point based on your personal experience, you'll move ahead in the line of letter writers.

Even if you decide to write about a national issue, such as Congress or the president, try to relate it to how their actions affect you, your friends or your community.

Personalizing your letter also means rejecting form letters from an organization that may advise you into sending one. If you believe in the cause, rewrite the letter and make it your own based on the rules in this guideline.

Rule No. 5 - Check yourself. Newspaper journalists are in the business of being as accurate as possible, which means checking facts, accurately quoting people's words, etc. If you say that such-and-such happened in 2002, but it actually happened in 2004, an editor may decide to correct the information for you, or just reject your letter. If you quote someone, be sure to include how to find the source of that comment, even if the information won't be printed in your letter. Responsible journalists will appreciate your attention to detail, and if the information checks out, they'll consider you trustworthy.

Question: Sometimes local and national news media are accused of backing away from issues that involve their advertisers or people connected with their publisher or editors. What would you do to bring attention to such a conflict of interest?

(John Parker is a veteran journalist whose career has included covering the Oklahoma City bombing for The Oklahoman newspaper.)