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Letting your voice be heard

Nancy Cronk and Carolyn Pevey of Blue Action Network presented an informative program at the club’s January meeting on writing letters to the editor and other methods for getting the word out in support of Democratic candidates and issues.

Their suggestions ranged from passive, personal methods like buttons and bumper stickers to public forums like Facebook and other social media.

Letters to newspapers are especially important, they said, because it’s possible to reach a large number of people with a single publication.

Some tips:

  • Keep it short and address only 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.
  • Make it legible. Use a typewriter or computer if your handwriting is difficult to read.
  • Send letters to weekly community newspapers also. The smaller the newspaper’s circulation, the easier it is to get your letter printed.
  • 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 print only your name and city should your letter be published.
  • Make references to previous articles in the newspaper. While some papers print general commentary, many will print only letters that refer to a specific article.

The documents linked below can assist you in preparing a letter to the editor: