Why your Letter to the Editor matters

Did you know?

• Surveys have shown that the letters page of a newspaper is among the most closely read parts of the paper!
• It's also the page policy-makers look to as a barometer of public opinion.
• Communicating with opinion leaders and journalists does make a difference! Your letter does not have to be perfect; not all letters to journalists need to be for publication. Even a one-sentence, handwritten note to a reporter can be helpful sometimes.
• If media outlets get letters from a dozen people raising the same issue, they will most likely publish one or two of them. So even if your letter doesn't get into print, it may help another one with a similar point of view get published.

There are dozens of excuses for not writing or calling the media when you see unfair, biased or inaccurate news coverage regarding Pakistan: "My opinions are not going to change the world!"; "I'm too busy"; "My computer crashed"; "Who's going to read MY letter?"

Hopefully, the above-mentioned reasons are significant enough for you to ignore these lame excuses and to take some action! Therefore, whenever a negative stereotype about Pakistan or Kashmir comes up in some newspaper or if you feel certain significant news about Pakistan or Afghanistan is neglected by the main stream media, do take the time to type a substantive letter. Send copies of the letter to two or three places within the media outlet-perhaps to the reporter, his or her editor, as well as to the letters-to-the-editor department.

How to Write a Letter to the Editor

When you write to journalists be respectful, polite, and factual. Avoid being harsh or rhetorical. Do not personally attack them; that's more likely to convince them that they are correct. Address them in the language that most journalists are trained to understand: For example, call on them to be responsible, professional, balanced and inclusive of diverse sources and viewpoints.

Here are some other useful tips to keep in mind:

• State your point clearly, ideally in the first sentence. Make one point (or at most two) in your letter or fax.
• Make your letter timely. If you are not addressing a specific article, editorial or letter that recently appeared in the paper you are writing to, then try to tie the issue you want to write about to a recent event in Pakistan or Kashmir. Otherwise it may simply be ignored.
• Familiarize yourself with the coverage and editorial position of the paper to which you are writing. Refute or support specific statements, address relevant facts that are ignored, but do avoid blanket attacks on the media in general or the newspaper in particular.
• Avoid any statements that would provoke hatred against any country or ethnic group, even though you may be required to discuss certain facts about the harmful actions or policies of such countries or groups.
• Check the letter specifications of the newspaper to which you are writing. Length and format requirements vary from paper to paper. (Generally, roughly two short paragraphs are ideal.) You also must include your name, signature, address and phone number.
• Look at the letters that appear in your paper. Is a certain type of letter usually printed?
• Support your facts. If the topic you address is controversial, consider sending documentation along with your letter. But don't overload the editors with too much info.
• Keep your letter brief. Type it whenever possible.
• Encourage others to write letters as well when possible. This will show that other individuals in the community are concerned about the issue. If your letter doesn't get published, perhaps someone else's on the same topic will.
• Monitor the paper for your letter. If your letter has not appeared within a week or two, follow up with a call to the editorial department of the newspaper.
• Write to different sections of the paper when appropriate. Sometimes the issue you want to address is relevant to the lifestyle, book review or other section of the paper.
• An increasing number of broadcast news programs (60 Minutes, All Things Considered, etc.) also appreciate and broadcast "letters to the editor." Don't forget these outlets.
• Please sign your letters as an individual or representative of a community group, not as a member of PakPeace.Net.
• Please send us a copy of your letters (published and unpublished) to PakPeace.Net. Address them to the attention of the activist co-ordinator.