The letter-to-the-editor is a traditional platform that private citizens can use to get their voices heard on issues of public concern. Good ways to use the genre as a tool for civic engagement:
- To draw more attention to a story of public interest that you think has not received the attention it deserves.
- To give readers a new perspective on a news story by sharing your own personal experiences or observations or thoughts about it.
- To make rguments in support of your position on issues of public concern, both to rally those who agree with you and to persuade those who disagree with you about the validity of your stance.
The letter-to-the editor can also misfire. Here are some things that can get you into trouble or undermine the effectiveness of the genre:
- Name-calling or slander
- Emotional ‘rants” that express how you feel but don’t move your audience
- Poorly supported or uninformed opinions
- Illogical reasoning that relies on logical fallacies (ad hominem attacks, band-wagon appeals, etc.)
- Patterns of grammatical or stylistic errors that undermine your credibility.
- Know the publication’s guidelines for letters to the editor: length, preferred topics, etc.
- Be concise.
- Focus on one point; don't ramble.
- If you write on a global or national story, find a local angle
- Get to your point quickly. Some good ways to start:
- Establish your credibility in the first line (e.g. “As a former UT student,…” “ As a longtime Vol fan, …”
- Refer directly to the news article story you are writing about (e.g. “in a letter to the editor on 1/28/2010, titled “Kiffin riots demonstrate ignorance, Thomas Walker incorrectly said that …”
Our Group includes Gustavo Quintero,Chris Ripp, Ryan Kleinaitis and Courtney Durbin.
ReplyDeleteChris wasn’t able to be here because he has a concussion and is at the doctor. However, Gustavo, Ryan and I all three agree that his letter is well written and he sounds very well informed. Gustavo mentioned that he should refer more to the article.
When discussing Gustavo’s letter, we pointed out a few grammatical errors, and that his paper has a sort of angry tone. He wants to get across the point that he’s angry, but he doesn’t want it to be a rant.
In Ryan’s letter, we discussed his conversational tone. I pointed out that he needs to draw some sort of conclusion at the end of his paper, and Gustavo said he should revise his recap of the season.
When discussing my letter, I realized that I didn’t stick to the guidelines very well. My letter is too short and I don’t think I picked an interesting or pertinent article. I am currently working on another letter on different article. I have read the beginnings of my letter to Gustavo and Ryan and they agree that second is better.
-Courtney Durbin