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Writing Letters to the Editor and Op-Eds
Please take a minute to read the easy tips on how to write an effective letter. After doing this, find your city below and click on the newspaper to write and send a letter.If you are a student in college look at the bottom of this page for a link to your college newspaper.
Tips on Writing Effective Letters
While writing to your elected official about an issue or calling their office to communicate your position, there are other ways to develop support for your issue. One way is to send a message for the “letters to the editor” section of your local newspaper. Another way is to write an article for the newspaper’s opinion page, called an “op-ed.”
Op-eds typically appear on the page facing the newspaper’s own editorials, which is where the name comes from – opposite the editorial page.
Here are some tips for writing and placing a letter to the editor or an op-ed:
- Focus your article on one key point – don’t try to fit too much into your article.
- Be concise and clear. Avoid big words or jargon.
- Most letters to the editor are quite short, and most newspapers limit the length of op-eds to between 500 and 750 words. Keeping your article within those limits will help get it published.
- Have a strong point of view.
- Real life stories engage readers – share your personal experience and perspective.
- Explain your stake in the issue near the top of your article.
- In the case of an op-ed, after sending your article to the paper, follow up with the editor to explain why it should be published.
Michigan Newspaper Directory
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