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Letters to the Editor: Tips for CLCV Members
A letter to the editor enables you to inform a large audience (your community) about important issues. In fact, according to several surveys, the letters to the editor section of the newspaper is read more frequently than any other. Letters to the editor are often perceived as a representation of broad public sentiment by legislators and other important readers.
A Few Points To Increase the Chance of Getting Your Letter Printed:
- Keep it short—2 or 3 short paragraphs, or no more than 150-200 words.
- When possible, tie it into a recently printed article from that publication—and try to submit your letter within 24 hours of that article’s appearance.
- Make one clear point and stick to it.
- Include solid facts to back up your point.
- Use local examples or your personal experience.
- Include your full name, address, and phone number (of course, phone numbers won’t be published).
- Use plain text only in your emails—no attachments.
- Typically, editors prefer to run letters from locals—so write to your hometown paper.
- Most editors will not print more than one letter from the same author within a 3-month period.
To sum up: Keep your letter short, relevant and to the point—in other words, make it count! And please let us know if your letter is selected.
Contact information for selected newspapers:
| Contra Costa Times | Email ccnletters@bayareanewsgroup.com |
| Fresno Bee | Fill out the online form at www.fresnobee.com/email/ |
| Los Angeles Daily News | Fill out the online form at www.dailynews.com/opinions#letter_form or email dnforum@dailynews.com |
| Los Angeles Times | Email letters@latimes.com |
| Modesto Bee | Fill out the online form at http://www.modbee.com/2007/02/12/1354/submit-a-letter-to-the-editor.html |
| Oakland Tribune | Fill out the online form at www.insidebayarea.com/feedback/tribune |
| Orange County Register | Email letters@ocregister.com |
| Riverside Press-Enterprise | Fill out the online form at www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/letters_form.html or email letters@pe.com |
| Sacramento Bee | Fill out the online form at www.sacbee.com/326/story/19629.html or email letters@sacbee.com |
| San Diego Union Tribune | Email letters@uniontrib.com |
| San Francisco Chronicle | Fill out the online form at www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/ |
| San Jose Mercury News | Email letters@mercurynews.com |
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