Pursuing the Press
Tips on How to Use the Media Effectively

This Article Contains

Writing Effective Letters to the Editor
Writing and Publishing an Op-Ed

Writing Effective Letters to the Editor

Letters to the editor are an easy way for you to voice your opinion to your policy makers, and to educate people in your community about the issues WORPHCO addresses. You can use letters to correct or interpret facts in response to an inaccurate or biased article which has appeared, to explain the connection between a news item and WORPHCO's priority issues, or to praise or criticize a recent article or editorial. Whatever your purpose, your letter will reach many people in your community - without exception, the letters section is one of the most highly read segments of newspapers (and magazines - don't forget magazines!).

Writing a letter to the editor is not much different from the letters you write each month as a WORPHCO member. The following tips will help you fine tune your letter writing skills, and will increase your chances of getting published.

Steps to Success

Know Your Paper's Policy
Find out the newspaper's (or magazine's) policy for printing letters. Some have requirements for length of letters, some want letters to be typewritten, and almost all require that you include your name, address and phone number. (Of course your address and phone number would never be printed - most publications will want to call you before they print your letter to confirm that you really did write the letter and that you want to have it published.)

If the paper doesn't publish their letters requirements next to the letters they print, don't be afraid to call. Ask to whom you should address your letter, if they have any length restrictions, and in what format they would like the letter.

Be Timely
Responding to a recent article, editorial or op-ed is one of the best ways to increase your chances of getting published. (Be sure to mention the name of the article and the date it was written in the beginning of your letter.) You can also capitalize on recent news, events, or anniversaries. For example, WORPHCO members can advocate the Land Mines Ban Treaty and presuing your gorvt to sign

Keep it Simple
Write letters to policy makers that are concise, informative and personal at the same time. The same should be true with letters to the editor. Keep your points short and clear, stick to one subject, and as a general rule, try to keep your letters to under three to four paragraphs in length. Make your first sentence short, compelling and catchy. Don't be afraid to be direct, engaging, and even controversial.

Get Personal
Newspapers, at their core, are community entities. Editors will be much more likely to publish a letter, and the letter will have much more impact, if it demonstrates local relevance.

• Use local statistics.
• Use personal stories. For example, if you or someone in your family has become ill because of contaminated drinking water, you should talk about your experience in a letter to the editor addressing the Safe Drinking Water Act.
• Use names. As congressional aides have repeatedly told us, if a letter to the editor mentions a Representative or Senator's name, they will see it. They care about how they are being perceived in the district, and they will pay attention to a letter which asks them to co-sponsor legislation, or to take a specific action in Congress. You should also urge your readers to support your position and to let their elected officials know their views.
• Use your credentials. If you have expertise in the area you are writing about, say it!

   

Increase WORPHCO's Name Recognition
Letters to the editor are an excellent opportunity to let more people know about WORPHCO. As a general rule, you should sign your letter to the editor with your affiliation to WORPHCO (i.e., Board member) if the letter is the only one (or one of a few) being sent. On the other hand, if you and many other WORPHCO subscribers are writing letters to the editor as part of a targeted campaign, you should not include your affiliation with WORPHCO. Publications will not print letters which they think are part of a manufactured campaign.

In the cases when you are the only one writing to the editor, you may also want to work WORPHCO's name into the text of your letter. For example, in a letter about the Comprehensive Test Ban you could say that "WORPHCO, an International organization of citizen advocates, has made adopting a CTB one of its top priorities for this year."

Don't Forget the Follow-up
Don't be discouraged if your letter is not printed. Keep trying. You can even submit a revised letter with a different angle on the issue at a later date. And if your letter is published be sure to send it to your member of Congress and to the WORPHCO national office! While your Representative or Senator will probably have clipped your letter, it carries more weight if it comes from you with a personal note attached. WORPHCO will make sure other members of your congressional delegation see it, as well as other organizations, individuals, and decision makers.

Think Strategically
You should think about letters to the editor as a regular strategic campaign tool to increase the effectiveness of your monthly WORPHCO actions. Try to target several different papers in your district at the same time and encourage people to explore different angles on the same issue.

"It is especially good if the letters are geographically spread and the issue is repeated in a few areas. It creates a ripple effect. It shows that the issue has reached far into the congressional district which, in turn, gets noticed by the policy maker."
- Congressional Aide

"Airing the plethora of viewpoints on a topic is essential to informed, thoughtful decision making. An informed citizen is the bedrock of our democracy and the guardian or our rights."
-Peter Kent, editorial page editor, Atlanta Journal

Op-eds, opinion/editorials, are articles which appear opposite the editorial page of local, state and national newspapers. They are written by local citizens, experts, leaders of organizations - people like you. And they are an extremely powerful and cost-effective way for raising an awareness about a campaign

Timing is Everything
Timing is the most important factor in deciding to submit an op-ed. Is Congress or the state legislature about to cast a controversial vote? Is there an appropriate holiday or anniversary? Can you tie the op-ed to the release of a new report, a recent article, a popular movie, or event in your community?

The Elements of Style

• Writing, editing and distributing an op-ed is easier than you think. Keep your text to between 500 and 800 words (about 3 pages double-spaced). Stay focused on one issue. Think creatively and try to be original. (Tip: read op-eds before starting so you see how they are styled.)
• Highlight the issue's relevance. Begin with a short vignette illustrating how the issue affects an individual or group of people to drive home why the newspaper's readers "need to know."
• Use local statistics. For example, in an op-ed focusing on the Clean Water Act, you should mention the number of lakes, rivers or streams in your state which are unsafe for swimming.
• Op-eds should, by their "biased" approach, provoke discussion, controversy and response. If you are trying to get your member of congress to cosponsor a particular piece of legislation, say so. Mentioning the member's name guarantees s/he sees it. In addition, op-eds should be informative and provide practical solutions for the problem you have presented.
• Finally, through an op-ed you can spread the word about WORPHCO. Try to incorporate the name and a brief sentence about it in the text of your op-ed. For example, in an op-ed about fuel efficiency you could say that grassroots organizations such as WORPHCO - a national advocacy organization which encourages citizens to spend 20 minutes each month to protect the environment and promote peace - have made raising CAFE standards for automobiles a priority this year.

   

It's the Messenger and the Message
Finding the best author, or signer, of the op-ed is also critical in achieving the publication of the article in addition to maximizing its impact. Within your Core Groups you have numerous people with different expertise and experience. Choose from among yourselves, or ask a local doctor, business executive, local elected official to sign the op-ed - anyone who may be perceived as having an interesting perspective on the issues. For example, having someone who is a retired military official sign an op-ed on the importance of eliminating funding for the CVN-76 nuclear aircraft carrier would be a more effective way of getting the readers to think about the issue than an article written by a known peace activist.

The Basic Questions

• How do I format an op-ed?
  Double space your text. Provide a suggested title, the author's name and identification. Make sure to mention the author's connection to WORPHCO:  member, Board member, etc. You may want to include a short biographical paragraph about the author, including residence and experience relevant to the topic. You can include a short cover letter, highlighting the most important aspects of the op-ed, but it is not required.
• When should I send the op-ed?
  You will need to allow some time for the media to review and edit the piece, usually about one to two weeks. You will also want to make sure that the ideas in the op-ed have time to resonate with policymakers once the piece is published - just enough time for you to clip the article and send it with a letter to your local politicians, U.S. Representative, Senator, Administration Official or Corporate CEO.
• Where do I send my op-ed?
  Identify the largest newspaper in your state or area, for maximum exposure. Call the paper first to ask for the name of the op-ed page editor, or if it is a local paper with a circulation of less than 40,000, you may have to send it to the editorial page editor, or the chief editor. Get the correct spelling and address and send it off.
• How should I follow-up?
  After 3-10 days, you should call the editor and ask if your op-ed is under consideration. Think of your follow-up call as an opportunity to educate the editor about the issue - even if your op-ed is not published. If your rapport is good, suggest a meeting, or ask if there is a reporter who should get a copy as background on the issue. The result could be a relationship with the editor, which will prove helpful for the future.
• What can I do with the op-ed after it is published?
  Make sure to clip your published op-ed, make a copy of it, including the name of the paper and the date it was published, and send it to the policymaker you want to influence as soon as possible. Keep copies to use for your Core Group's promotion efforts, and be sure to send a copy to the WORPHCO national office.