We write a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine to highlight any social problem or issue. It’s an effective way to reach to the public or the readers to generate public opinion about your thinking.

If you see any issues or wrong-doings happening around you, writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine is a strong option to highlight the issues publicly.

Since this is a formal letter, it should strictly follow the prescribed format of a formal letter.

A letter to the editor is generally published in the editorial section of a newspaper. It can also appear in the beginning of a magazine.

You can grab the attention of the concerned authority or the Government agency to resolve any public issue by writing a letter to the editor.

Not necessarily, a letter to the editor will always be against any issue or wrong-doings. It may also be simply any information or good news to public for their awareness.

Table of Contents

1. Why should you write a letter to the editor?
2. Tips to write a letter to the editor
3. Format to write a letter to the editor
4. Worked out examples and Free Downloads
5. Conclusion

 

Why should you write a letter to the editor?

It is one of the most used medium to reach the large audience to address any public issue.

You can write a letter to the editor about any topic which you feel very strong to speak out to the public interest.

Below are the most common reasons why you should write a letter to the editor:

• Raising the concern publicly about an unfair thing happening around you
• Suggest an outstanding idea to the public to solve any difficult issue
• Any corruption that you are seeing and hence people are suffering a lot
• To highlight the problems in your locality
• Creating public awareness to save the environment from pollution
• To establish your strong opinion about any issue publicly
• Sharing your personal opinion about any current affair

There are lot more reasons to write a letter to the editor.

Learn the rules to write the letter and grab the chance to reach the large audience.

 

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Tips to write a letter to the editor

Follow the below tips to write a letter to the editor:

1. Strictly follow the prescribed format of a formal letter.
2. Write in a precise and specific way. Focus directly to the issues concerned to write the letter and it should have a clear objective.
3. Mention your keywords right in the beginning of the letter so that the editor and the readers can get your topic within a few seconds.
4. Write the main content of your letter in short paragraphs as far as practicable.
5. Use only simple words to understand easily because different categories of people will read your letter.
6. Mention what you’re expecting from the editor such as requesting to publish your letter to create the public awareness, to appeal to the concerned authority to solve the issue by highlighting it in the newspaper etc.
7. You should have the clear and strong evidence if you’re writing against any problem or wrong-doings.
8. Include your name, address and contact detail very clearly because you may be contacted by the editorial team before publishing your letter in the newspaper or magazine. However, your name may remain undisclosed to the public upon request and considering the situation.
9. Choose the subject line carefully so that it can cover the summary of the letter and most relevant to your topic.
10. Put your strong suggestion or opinion to get rid of the issue you’re talking about.
11. Try to avoid attacking anybody personally since it’s a formal letter and it’ll be published publicly.
12. Don’t use any informal or slang language.

 

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Format of a letter to the editor

A letter to the editor is a part of formal letter. Hence, it should follow the prescribed format of a formal letter.

Let’s check below the format of a letter to the editor:

Sender’s address:

The address and the contact details of the sender are written first on the top left corner. Also include the email and phone no. of the sender.

Date:

Leave one line below the sender’s address and put the date of writing the letter.

Receiver’s address:

Leave one line below the date and write down the recipient’s address details.

Subject line:

Leave one line below the recipient’s address and write down the subject line.

The subject line must be short enough and should cover the topic of your letter. It must be written in one line only.

Salutation

Start with “Sir/Madam” or “Respected Sir/Madam”.

Use a comma (,) after the salutation.

Body of the letter

This can be sub-divided into three parts:

Part-1: Introduction and the purpose of writing the letter.

Part-2: Write down the detail of the letter specifying the problems, consequences, grievances, events, statistics etc. as applicable.

Part-3: Draw a conclusion by suggesting any solution, action required, your expectation, highlight the issue in the newspaper or magazine etc.

Complimentary Closing

A complimentary closing is a polite way to convey your regards to the recipient.

You can use “Yours sincerely” or “Yours faithfully”.

Don’t forget to use a comma (,) after the complimentary closing.

Sender’s name and signature

Leave another couple of lines for the last step—your name and signature. Type your full name underneath it.

 

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Worked out examples and Free Downloads

Example-1:

Question: Write a letter to the editor of “The Times of India” highlighting the issue of water-logging in your locality in the rainy season. You are Soham/Neela, a resident of Action Area-1, New Town, Kolkata.

Answer:

Action Area-1, New Town, Kolkata. July 13, 2020 The Editor, The Times of India, 1/A-Park Street, Kolkata. Subject: Water-logging issue in the rainy season Respected Sir/Madam, Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw your kind attention about the water-logging issue in our locality during rainy season. The drainage system is not working at all since it is not maintained properly. As a result, the water logging has become a common problem in every rainy season. It’s very risky for the pedestrians, bike riders and car drivers to use the roads due to the immersed pot holes which cause accidents very often. Moreover, the water logging problem is causing the born of various diseases like dengue which is threatening the life of the local residents. Therefore, on behalf of our local residents, I request you to highlight this issue in your esteemed newspaper to create awareness and draw the attention of the concerned authority to sort out this problem. Thanking you for your time and consideration. Yours sincerely,   Soham

 

Example-2:

Question: People are not following the Government’s rules and restrictions to fight against the “Corona virus pandemic.” Write a letter to the editor of “The Times of India” highlighting the issue to raise the public awareness. You are Animesh/Preeti of 141, CG Block, Salt Lake City.

Answer:

141, CG Block, Salt Lake City, Kolkata. July 13, 2020 The Editor, The Times of India, 1/A-Park Street, Kolkata. Subject: Lack of consciousness regarding Corona virus pandemic Dear Sir/Madam, Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw your kind attention for the lack of consciousness in the people regarding the Government’s rules and restrictions to fight against the Corona virus pandemic. People at our locality are not strictly following the rules and restrictions imposed by the Government. Most of the local residents are not using their face masks and not following the social distancing while roaming outside. This is very risky and threatening the life of the people especially the aged, the children and pregnant women. Therefore, I request you to highlight the serious issue in your esteemed newspaper to create a huge awareness in people to fight against this pandemic. Thanking you for your time and consideration. Yours faithfully,   Preeti

 

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Conclusion

Don’t be upset if your letter is not published in the newspaper or magazine. There may be several writers who send a letter to the editor with the same topic.

Keep trying to improve your writing style and make it more attractive. Follow the writing tips to improve your writing skill.

Grab the attention of the editor by specifying the key subject in the first paragraph of your letter.

Plan to write about any particular topic and send it to the editor well advance. They need some time to review your letter and the evidences, if any.

Finally, make it a habit to write a letter to the editor from time to time. It’ll influence your community building your social reputation as well.

Please share your feedback. Have you ever tried to write a letter to the editor about any topic?

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