How to write a Letter to the Editor David P. Billings Disclaimer - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

How to write a Letter to the Editor David P. Billings

Disclaimer / Legal Fine Print The foregoing materials and information are provided solely for informational purposes, and are not offered as or intended to constitute legal advice, nor do they necessarily reflect the opinions of David P. Billings, RESULTS, Action Utah, the law firm Fabian VanCott, any of its attorneys or clients, past or present. 2

Keep it short & interesting ● “ If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter .” Blaise Pascal ● At most 200-300 words for a letter to the editor (referenced Food Tax LTE published in the SL Trib was 164 words) ● Op-Eds can be 500-600 words ● Readers (and Newspaper Editors) have short attention spans. ● KISS (Keep It Short Silly). 3

Make your Letters EPIC E ngage (create a good hook), ● ● P roblem (what it is & why should we care), ● I nform (on the solution), ● C all (for Action) 4

Engage the Reader Don’t bury the lede. Put your main point in the first sentence. ● ● Tie into a recent LTE/Op-Ed/Editorial/article (limit to that paper) [Example] ● Tell personal story (or one of an acquaintance) (be mindful of privacy concerns, however) [Example] Tie to a current event [Example] ● ○ (e.g., “ Utah’s tax code might get a whole lot fairer and simpler. The Legislature’s Interim Taxation Committee is contemplating eliminating a tax that hurts Utah’s poor disproportionately: the food tax.”) ● Make a pop culture reference/analogy (like UDOT’s electronic messages) ● Or make a counter-intuitive point (a so-called Slate Pitch) [Example]. ● Whatever you do, you got to catch the reader’s attention. [More here] 5

State the Problem The body should include a fact or two about what the problem is. ● ○ Don’t go overboard. This is an LTE, not an academic assignment. ● Then state WHY the READER should care. (e.g. The food tax “hurts Utah’s poor disproportionately. Utah is one of only ● seven states that tax food like this. Utah’s food tax is difficult to administer and riddled with absurdities. For example, a box of donuts is taxable, but a single donut served with a napkin is not. Crushed ice is considered ‘food,’ but block ice is not. A candy bar is not taxed, but licorice is.”) 6

Inform the Public on Solutions Support your point with a brief paragraph of evidence. ● ○ statistics, studies by experts not affiliated with your org., lessons of history, examples of how other countries handle the same problem, personal stories, etc. (e.g., “Recent studies find…”) ● If you must include it, provide a one sentence summary of the opposition’s point (e.g., “Critics say…”) Then knock it down. (e.g., “Not so. Independent analyses conclude…”) Then explain WHAT CAN BE DONE to help solve the problem (passage of ● your preferred legislation, or defeat of your opposed legislation) ○ “Some lawmakers want to keep the food tax but give the poor an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) akin to what exists on the federal level, as five other states do. That would help reduce the harm, but we could actually help those struggling to make ends meet by repealing the food tax and by establishing a Utah EITC.” 7

Call to Action In the conclusion, sum up what you want the READER to do. This should be a small ask. Or thank politicians or Editors for doing the right thing. REWARD GOOD BEHAVIOR TOO. (e.g., “Join me in calling on our Legislators to stop taxing food and start rewarding hard work.”) (e.g., “Rep. Stewart deserves praise for supporting the _____ Act. Ask your member of Congress and our Senators to join Rep. Stewart in co-sponsoring this important legislation.”) 8

Where do I send my LTE? If you live outside of Salt Lake Co., send to your local paper first (e.g., Park ● Record for Summit/Wasatch Cos., Ogden Standard-Examiner for Weber/Davis Cos., St. George Spectrum for Washington/Iron Cos., Provo Daily Herald for Utah Co., etc.) They need the content! If you are referencing an article/op-ed/LTE from the SL Trib or Des News , ● send your LTE there only. They love fights on the Opinion Pages! ● Otherwise, don’t be afraid to send your single letter to multiple papers across the state (Utah RESULTS volunteers have had the same letter published in several papers, repeatedly) or country (some RESULTS volunteers from other states echo our LTEs in Utah papers!) 9