 | NORML News: Word! A guide to writing letters that get published |
 Norml News Winter 2007
Have you ever read an article about an issue to do with cannabis and thought “That’s just not true”?
Or read an editorial or letter about cannabis and thought “I disagree”? Or seen a positive cannabis
item and thought “Wow! That was really good”? If so then you could help in the fight to end cannabis
prohibition by writing a Letter to The Editor (LTE). JASON BAKER-SHERMAN explains that if you have
an opinion, writing a letter could be much easier than you think.
Generally, one of the most
widely read sections of any
newspaper or magazine is its
“Letters” section. Consequently
a Letter to the Editor (LTE) is
not only a chance to express
an opinion, it is also a great
opportunity to both reflect and
influence public opinion.
Compared to the start of this
decade, cannabis law reform
is not such a hot media issue.
One way to remedy that is for
all potential letter writers, both
new and old, to send a letter
about cannabis and the problems
caused by its prohibition to a
newspaper or magazine whenever
the opportunity arises.
Getting started
The first step is to look out for
an article, report, editorial or letter
that provokes a reaction in you
(although there is nothing to stop
you just writing an LTE about an
aspect of cannabis that you’re
interested in but topicality does
help). It need not necessarily be
a negative item about cannabis as
writing to praise a newspaper or
magazine for printing a positive
cannabis article is also a good
opportunity for an LTE.
Once you have selected your
item, re-read it a few times and
think about the issue for a while.
Try to locate the weakest point
if it is a negative item and focus
on that, although it can be a good
idea to utilise any positive points
if possible. Now start to imagine yourself
reading out your letter in your
mind.
Writing your letter
Once you feel that you have
worked out your response, it’s
time to turn on the computer, or get
paper and pen, and begin writing.
Don’t worry too much about
what you’re writing at this point,
the trick is to try and complete a
rough draft of your LTE. Keep
that picture of your LTE in your
mind. Once you’ve written your outline, do a word count to check its length and don’t forget
to save it. If your LTE is under or
close to the limit (or under 250 words if
there is no stated limit) then reread
it and delete any points that
are irrelevant or repeated .
Remember the shorter your LTE,
the greater its
chance of getting
printed. Once you’re
happy with it, do a
spell check and make
sure to save it.
If your LTE is well
over the limit (usually
the case with my
letters) then it’s time to make
some tough choices. Re-read
your LTE (printing it out double-spaced
can be helpful) and delete
any irrelevant or repeated points.
If still over the limit, eliminate the
weakest points one by one until it
is under the limit. Re-read your
LTE , edit if necessary, do a spell
check and save it.
Now print it out for a better look.
Repeat the editing process if you
notice any obvious problems.
Getting a second opinion can help.
However, don’t get stuck trying to
make your LTE perfect.
Submitting your letter
This is the best bit; sending your
letter off. Submitting your LTE by
e-mail has the advantages of being
quick plus your letter is already in
a digital format making it more
convenient for the press to use.
However, don’t forget to include
your full address and a contact
phone number.
Sending a physical copy of your
LTE by post, although slower, less
convenient and more expensive,
does have an advantage over an email
in that it is physical. You
can also attach a cover letter,
possibly explaining your
interest in the issue and/or
a particular point in a little
more depth, and/or some
proof to back up the facts
and opinions. This proof
could be a photocopy of,
say, a newspaper article,
or a page or two from a
book. Don’t include too
much, just enough to
prove your point, and
make sure to highlight
the relevant passages.
Of course, you can
do the same with
LTEs sent by email
but DO NOT
include attachments.
Instead, simply put
your cover letter
and proof after
your LTE but keep
it short as a long
e-mail might not
get read.
Recycling it
To pass the
time while waiting
to see if your LTE is printed, go
to a library or check back here or sites like stuff.co.nz to
see if any other newspapers
have covered the issue you have
written about. If so, a new LTE
(most newspapers and magazines
ask that only original LTEs are
submitted to them) can easily be
created by rearranging or editing
your original LTE to suit the new
item. Also, check the News pages of
the television websites as some
allow for opinion to be recorded.
Congratulations! Your
letter got published
If your LTE is fortunate enough
to be published, then you should
submit it for inclusion on the Media
Awareness Project (MAPinc)
website, “a worldwide network
dedicated to drug policy reform.” Simply send an email to mapinc.org. Put PUB LTE followed by the letter’s headline in the “Subject” line. In the message type
“Newshawk:” then the name
you’d like to use, the “Headline:”,
“Pubdate:”, “Source:”, “Page:”
and “Author:” details followed
by your LTE. You could also
post your LTE in the NORML letter writer's forum.
Or, bad luck but don’t
despair...
If after a week’s wait your
letter still hasn’t been published
then, unfortunately, it probably
won’t be. However, that’s not
always the case. Don’t give
up as you still have a few
options:
> Try again: Accept that your
letter has been rejected and
look for another opportunity
to write a new LTE.
> Resubmit: You could
consider resubmitting your
LTE, especially if you feel
that the point of view you
are presenting hasn’t been
expressed in the paper
already. Most newspapers
have a “mission statement”,
or similar, that outlines their
commitment to accuracy and
balance in their reporting. I’ve
had some success using that
argument to get rejected letters
published. It requires some extra
effort as you will need to write a
cover letter with a good argument
to justify your letters inclusion,
however, you could
say as little as you
wish to resubmit your
LTE because you feel
that their coverage
lacks balance.
Both of the above
options show the
editor that you are
serious about your
opinion and I’m sure your persistence
will be rewarded
eventually.
> You can still submit
your letter to MAPinc
for inclusion on their
website but type LTE
in the “Subject” line to indicate
that it wasn’t published.
> You could also visit the
NORML website and post your
LTE under a relevant topic as
well. There is now a “thread”
specifically for unpublished letters
called “The Unpublished Letters
Resurrected”.
...and keep on trying!
Whatever you do, don’t give
up. Under “Get Active” on the
NORML website there are four
excellent articles by Clifford A.
Schaffer. They are not specific to
letter writing but are very useful
nevertheless, even for improving
your debating skills. Or check out
the letter writing advice at www.
mapinc.org.
But do keep trying as even
unpublished LTEs are read by the
editorial staff so they do have an
influence.
After all, I’ve never regretted
submitting any of the many letters
that I’ve written over the years
but I do regret not writing and
sending the many letters that I
only composed in my head.
Letter writing guidelines
> Read the requirements on the editorial page of the
newspaper or visit its website (see NORML’s media
directory if in doubt). Usually there will be a word limit
plus you will be asked to supply your name, address
and a phone number. Double space your letter if you
submit it by post.
> Timeliness. Try to respond quickly. This will improve
the odds of your letter being published and also the
likelihood of your writing it in the first place. But do
take the time to edit your letter and check for spelling
mistakes.
> Brevity. Try to keep your letter as short as possible,
maybe by sticking to one issue only. The shorter your
letter, the greater the chance that it will be printed. It’s
as simple as that.
> Clarity. Keep sentences short and simple, and your
letter ordered and logical. While there is no right way to
write a letter, a good starting point is to name the article
or letter to which you are responding and your position,
then cite some relevant research, evidence or statistics
to support your viewpoint, before finishing your letter
with some opinion and/or a conclusion. An interesting
or quirky fact that is memorable can be good.
> Originality. Be yourself and express your thoughts as
some personality can give your letter an advantage.
The importance of proof
> One important point to remember when submitting LTEs is
that the editorial staff may not have the same knowledge and
understanding about cannabis, its uses and law reform as we
do. Therefore including some proof, especially if it is from a
government report or major study, can help in getting your LTE
published.
> Proof is also important in that it makes it much harder for the
press to propagate misinformation if they know that what they
are printing isn’t true.
> And you never know, someone at the paper might be so inspired
by the information you send that they use it for an article.
> Keep it positive if you can: another way to ensure your letters
have a good chance of publication is to try and maintain a
positive relationship with the editor and other correspondents.
As the NORML guidelines say it is better to use “judo”, ie your
opponents own weight, to defeat them rather than try to knock
them out as in boxing.
Having said that I have had some success with the “boxing”
approach but it is more stressful, both mentally and physically
(they say the pen is mightier than the sword, and I used to imagine
my “pen” slashing the lies of cannabis prohibition like a sword).
Lately, however, I have been trying a more judo-like approach
and have found that to be just as effective while being easier too.
I have also discovered that it pays not to take an LTE’s rejection
personally. It is important to remember that, figuratively speaking,
LTEs are the newspaper’s ball and they get to say who plays with
it. Even if you complain to the Press Council, they will probably
tell you the same. So play hard and fair but accept that the press
has the final say about the publication of LTEs. The Christchurch
Press recently ran an editorial item pointing out that letter writers
had no right to reply. Nevertheless, that shouldn’t stop you from
making a good case to have your LTE included if you feel hard
done by.
> Finally, it never hurts to say thank you or use some praise if
you get the chance.
My own letter writing record
> First LTE, to the Dominion
Post in July 2000, was not published
(too long, not topical) but after
that my LTEs started getting
published regularly.
> My next letter, to the Otago
Daily Times, (“Cannabis could
save mill”, 24.7.00) was chosen
as their Letter of the Month
despite being more than 300
words long.
> Even the NZ Woman’s Weekly
published one of m y LTEs,
although I never received my
skin-care products gift pack.
> My current tally is about 100
submitted LTEs on cannabis,
prohibition and drug law reform
with a 75% publication rate. Two-thirds
have been submitted locally
with a better than 95% publication
rate, whereas nationally the success
rate is 35%.
> Ironically, while researching
letter writing for this guide, I’ve
discovered that my own LTEs
often breach the guidelines, which
should give you all hope of getting
an LTE published too!
For more information and letterwriting
tips, see:
 NORML's letter writer's forum
 MAP Inc New Zealand drug news page
MAP Inc Letter writing tips
MAP Inc Newshawk guidelines - for submitting letters and articles for inclusion on their database
The Drug Library
Stash - NZ drug news
 Share your experiences in the Get Active Forum
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