Media – Send a Letter to the Editor
Letters to the Editor are among the most read sections of many newspapers – by both local people and local politicians.
And newspaper editors use them to help understand what people in the community are talking about and what they think about the issues of the day. This helps editors decide what kinds of stories deserve coverage.
Letters to the Editor are most often sent in response to an article that has already been printed in the newspaper. So that’s our first tip…
1) Take the Opportunity
Whenever you see an article in the paper that is connected to the issue of poverty, use it as an opportunity to talk about the need for a bold and broad Social Assistance Review.
For example, if you see an article on the problems with Employment Insurance, people getting laid off from their jobs, and the current economic recession, make the connection.
Write a Letter to the Editor to point out how social assistance is failing you or someone you know, and how the people who will end up on assistance – because of the economy and bad EI rules – will also be subjected to its failures.
2) Make an Opportunity
You don’t have to write a Letter to the Editor in response to an article. You can simply write.
So get your pen and paper out, and send that letter in!
3) Keep it Short!
This can’t be stressed enough.
The maximum for a Letter to the Editor is 250 words! Anything longer than that is not a letter, it’s an Op-Ed.
So be succinct. Speak from your experience, but don’t get into details.
4) What to Say
First, put your first and last name, address, phone number, and e-mail address at the top of the letter. Most newspapers will call you to confirm that you are who you said you are, and that you did write the letter.
In the next line, if you are referring to an article in the paper, identify that article by writing its headline and the day it was published (for example, write: Re: Food bank use up by 25%, June 19).
Then, start writing. Don’t waste words on a long introduction. Just make your points – be short, and to the point.
Say that OW or ODSP has failed you or stopped you from reaching your full potential – and that your experience has given you ideas for what a good social assistance system with meaningful supports and opportunities would look like.
And say that you think the government should honour the all-party commitment to poverty reduction by insisting that the Social Assistance Review:
- creates opportunities for the voices of low-income people to be heard
- identifies and addresses the most punitive elements of the system immediately
- re-imagines and creates a system for the longer term that moves people out of poverty by offering meaningful and appropriate resources and programs
- starts soon – Ontarians need and are entitled to a social assistance system that really works.
5) Remember to use these sources for information on which newspapers serve your local community:
Look for the contact information for the editor of your local newspaper, and send your letter there.
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