About this Guide
This guide is part of the NEA Toolkit: Protecting Students and Public Schools. Use it to bring your community together and build momentum against dangerous federal education cuts and the dismantling of public education.
What is a letter to the editor?
You feel strongly about an issue, and you want to let people know what you think. You believe you can even influence people to take some action if you speak your mind. But, you want to reach an audience larger than just your friends or your group membership. Letters to the editor can be an effective way to get the word out.
A letter to the editor is a written way of talking to a newspaper, magazine, or other regularly printed publication. Letters to the editor are generally found in the first section of the newspaper, or towards the beginning of a magazine, or in the editorial page. They can take a position for or against an issue, or simply inform, or both. They can convince readers by using emotions, or facts, or emotions and facts combined. Letters to the editor are usually short and tight, rarely longer than 300 words.
Using a few carefully placed letters, you can generate plenty of community discussion. You can also keep an issue going by preventing it from disappearing from the public eye. You can stimulate the interest of the news media and create more coverage for the matters you're working on. You can also send a "good news" letter to bring recognition to people who deserve it or acknowledge the success of an effort.
Why should you write a letter to the editor?
Letters to the editor are among the most widely read features in any newspaper or magazine. They allow you to reach a large audience. You can probably think of many more specific reasons why you might want to write to the editor, but here are a few general ones:
- You are angry about something, and want others to know it
- You think that an issue is so important that you have to speak out
- Part of your group's strategy is to persuade others to take a specific action
Or you want to:
- Suggest an idea to others
- Influence public opinion
- Educate the general public on a specific matter
- Influence policy-makers or elected officials directly or indirectly
- Publicize the work of your group and attract volunteers or program participants
When should you write a letter to the editor?
Letters to the editor can be written any time you want to shape public opinion, tell others how you feel about people, programs, or ideas, or just inform the public on a certain issue. They are a great way to increase awareness of the issues that you or your organization are working for, as well as to advocate for your cause.
Letters to the editor can also be used to start a community conversation about an issue important to you. A planned series of letters to the editor can stimulate public interest and media coverage. It's up to you to determine when is the best time to start writing the letters, allowing time for them to be published.
How should you send your letter?
The reality for virtually every print publication is that they’d prefer to get letters and other material by e-mail, since everything they publish is set up on a computer and printed straight from software. You should see the email address for such letters within that outlet’s letters to the editor section.
Open the letter with a simple salutation
Don't worry if you don't know the editor's name. A simple "To the Editor of the Daily Sun," or just “To the Editor:” is sufficient. If you have the editor's name, however, you should use it to increase the possibilities of your letter being read.
Grab the reader’s attention
Your opening sentence is very important. It should tell readers what you’re writing about, and make them want to read more.
Throughout your letter, remember the rule:
- Be quick,
- Be concise, and then
- Be quiet.
Don't make the editor or the general public wait to find out what you want to say. Tell them your key point at the beginning.
Explain why the issue is important
If you are motivated enough to write a letter to a newspaper or magazine, the importance of your topic may seem clear to you. Remember, though, that the general public probably doesn't share your background or the interest. Explain the issue and its importance simply. Use plain language that most people will understand
Give evidence for any praise or criticism
If you are writing a letter discussing a past or pending action, be clear in showing why this will have good or bad results.
State your opinion about what should be done
You can write a letter just to ''vent," or to support or criticize a certain action or policy, but you may also have suggestions about what could be done to improve the situation. If so, be sure to add these as well. Be specific. And the more good reasons you can give to back up your suggestions, the better.
Keep it brief
Generally, shorter letters have a better chance of being published. So go back over your letter and see if anything can be cut or condensed. If you have a lot to say and it can't be easily made short, you may want to check with the editor to see if you could write a longer opinion feature or guest column.
Sign the letter
Be sure to write your full name (and title, if relevant) and to include your address, phone number, and e-mail address. Newspapers won't print anonymous letters, though in some cases they may withhold your name on request. They may also call you to confirm that you wrote the letter before they publish it.
How do you get your letters accepted?
How likely your letter is to be published depends to a certain extent on the publication you’re sending it to. The New York Times probably receives hundreds, if not thousands of letters a day, only ten or so of which make it into print. A small-town newspaper, on the other hand, may print every letter it gets, since it may get only two or three a day.
In general, newspapers and magazines will publish letters that are well-written and articulate, and that either represent specific points of view on an issue, or that thoughtfully analyze complex issues and events. Most publications stay away from publishing rants, although they may publish short-and-to-the-point letters that make the same points as a rant might, but in a much calmer and more rational way. Publications also tend to stay away from attacks on particular people (although not from criticism of the actions of politicians and other public figures), and anything that might possibly be seen as libel.
Here are a few helpful tips for getting your letters accepted by the editor:
- Keep your letter under 300 words. Editors have limited space for printing letters, and some papers have stated policies regarding length (check the editorial page for this).
- Make sure your most important points are stated in the first paragraph. Editors may need to cut parts of your letter and they usually do so from the bottom up.
- Refer to a recent event in your community or to a recent article – make a connection and make it relevant.
- Use local statistics and personal stories to better illustrate your point.
- Make sure you include your title as well as your name – it adds credibility, especially if it's relevant to the topic being discussed. If you are a program director, your title may lend credibility to the letter.
Real example
Eliminating Department of Education will harm students
Dear Editor: In the 2024 Presidential election, 77 million people voted to inflict vengeance on perceived enemies. But did they vote for irrational and illegal actions like demolishing the Department of Education and degrading the lives of American children? Did they vote to end the federal government’s involvement in public education and the following key functions?
- The Nation’s Report Card gathers data needed to track how well students perform, providing a means to hold schools and states accountable for the quality of instruction.
- Administers Pell Grants and the $1.6 trillion student loan program.
- Enforces federal civil rights laws that forbid discrimination based on race, gender, and disability in public classrooms.
- Title I program that provides supplemental funding to high-poverty K-12 schools.
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act helps cover the cost of education for students with disabilities.
- In May of 1980, excellence and equity in education were values that informed the establishment of the Department of Education and the laws it was tasked with administering and enforcing. Why are these values no longer important and what will be the result if they are abandoned? Who will be hurt, and who will benefit should the federal government’s role in public education be abandoned?
Opportunity for children of the middle class and working poor to receive a quality education will be diminished, particularly for women, minority groups, and the disabled. According to Republican leadership, the Department of Education’s mission is not as important as a tax cut for the elite billionaire class whose children’s education, of course, will be unaffected. As a result of this shift in American values, children of all classes and identities who benefit from and rely on the services of the Department of Education will suffer the consequences.
Raymond Dennis, Susquehanna
Originally Published: February 27, 2025 at 11:03 AM EST, The Times-Tribune
Speak Up For Students and Public Schools
