Writing Letters to the Editor

Your public officials read the letters section each day to see what their constituents are thinking. YOU are a constituent, and your voice matters! Writing a letter is the greatest way to take individual action and feel like you are making a difference. Your letter can educate the public, influence public leaders, and get others to take action. When your letter gets published? You HAVE made a difference!

The Anchorage Daily News publishes an average of 15 letters, from all across the state, each day. Writing letters to the editor is similar to writing a letter to a public official.

TIPS for Effective Letters to the Editor

• Always follow the newspaper's guidelines. In the Anchorage Daily News, you must keep your letter to 250 words and include your daytime phone number.
• Start your letter:
  To the Editor,
  End it:
  Sincerely,
  Your signature,
  Your name (printed)
  Your AGE!
• "Brevity is the soul of wit." --Anchorage Daily News
  Make sure your letter is brief and clear. Long letters often get chopped by editors, which can take the meaning away from your letter.
• Your topic should be timely. This means, your topic is something that people are currently talking about or interested in.
• Never make accusations. This can a) get you in a lot of trouble and b) turn people off, especially the people deciding whether to print your letter!
• Don't send the same letter to more than one paper. The papers want something unique, they don't want to print a letter that already appeared in a competing paper!
• Proofread! Proofread! If you are representing a club or organization, let others preview your letter before you send it to the paper. Some papers do not correct spelling, which could prove embarrassing later!