Write a Letter to the Editor

Read the article linked here and write a 250-word letter to the editor.

First, answer these questions in your journal or in the Googledoc where you plan to write your letter. Call the document EDITOR

1. A letter to the editor is a written way of talking to a _________, ___________, or other regularly_______________.

2. You can also keep an issue going by preventing it from disappearing from the ________________.

3. List two reasons someone might write a letter to the editor.

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4. Virtually every publisher wants to get letters via _____________________

5. Throughout the letter, remember the rule:____________________

Next: Refer back to this article as you write your letter to the editor. Look in this link for ideas:

200 Prompts for Argument Writing (for your editorial)

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.

EXPLAIN WHAT THE LETTER IS ABOUT AT THE START.

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.

Sample Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

We live in an age of constant media bombardment. It seems like everyone is on screens these days, and many of them are playing games. “Video games are too violent,” I hear people say all the time. “Kids shouldn’t play them because then they become bad.”

Violent game media is not the problem some in the news media has portrayed it to be.

For one thing, someone who acts out violently against persons or society has problems that go beyond watching one character stab another one. Depression, anxiety, stress at work, all these things can lead to violent behavior. If video games cause violence, it is a small contributing factor compared to other causes.

Moreover, kids who play violent video games may actually be taking their frustrations out in the game itself. Wouldn’t you rather have these youngsters enacting their violent tendencies with their thumbs on their phones or game platforms rather than in the locker rooms or parking lots of their town? Some kids have stressful lives and may need that outlet to let off steam and calm themselves down. Video games cannot hurt people physically. But youth can and often do hurt others through sudden angry outbursts. Having a video game outlet might help with this.

Let kids have their video games. It can actually help them by providing an outlet for their pent-up frustrations, and it keeps them from taking it out on real humans.

Dawn Anderson

Rexburg

208-315-6512