SAMPLE LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Paper address

Dear Editor,

Explain why you are writing. I read on date where …. something related to tobacco. Or It is a well-known fact ……a fact on from SHS Fact Sheet.

Make it personal. Explain why you care about the issue. I recently sat in the non-smoking section of a restaurant and I may as well have been smoking the cigarette myself. I will never return to that restaurant until they are smokefree. Unfortunately, the waiters and waitresses are there for many more hours that the patrons and they don’t have a choice. They need the job or they wouldn’t be there.

Explain what you would like to see happen. The overwhelming majority of Iowans believe that non-smokers should be protected from secondhand smoke. Our legislators have an opportunity to help save the lives of 500 Iowans this year. They can restore local control so that each Iowa community can act to protect the health of children, all workers, and the general public from the death and disease caused by secondhand smoke.

Include an argument for Local Control. Local control allows communities to find a solution tailored to the concerns of the people who live there.

Sincerely,

Your name
Your Address
Phone number

 

Tips For Getting Published

1. Keep it short – 150 words
2. Make your point quickly
3. Include name, address, and daytime phone number
4. Remember---ALL letters are subject to editing
5. MOST letters are edited for clarification and length
6. Choose your words carefully. Angry letters are likely to be rejected
7. Most letters can be e-mailed