Global Climate Change Action

With thanks and acknowledgement to http://no-waste.org for supplying this helpful information.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
(see addresses at the bottom of post)

Letters to the editor can be great to get info out to large numbers of people and to get info out when no other options (e.g. no interest from reporters, no option of opinion piece). The letters page is the second most widely read page in the newspaper (not sure what is first, guess it must be comics, or TV guide). And journalists read the letters page.

Tips:
* KISS - Keep it Short and Simple. Max. 200 words & use short sentences. Some great letters are just 20-50 words. More likely to get published if letter is short. Seems to be trend towards publishing larger number of very short letters in some papers esp. tabloids e.g. Herald Sun.
* Aim to respond by 1pm on the day of an issue arising (aiming for publication the following day).
* Funny/clever letters are more likely to be published and to stick in people's minds.
* Look at the style of letters published for that paper.
* Avoid defamation. Stick to the issue rather than making personal attacks.
* File your letters so you can resend or edit for another go sometime later.
* Some newspapers are better than others, e.g. Australian Financial Review is (surprisingly) friendly.
* Aim to write a letter in no more than 10-15 minutes ... if it takes longer, it's most likely too long!
* Most likely to get published if the letter is REACTING to articles or letters in the paper. But sometimes letters to editor can GENERATE some discussion/debate in the letters page so don't discount that possibility.
* Most letters can be sent to many newspapers, increased chance of publication (and decreased chance of getting disinterested in letter writing and giving up). You can set up an email group list - but letters editors will probably not publish a letter if they know it has been sent to lots of newspapers.
* Most of your letters will not get published ... but same applies to everyone else.
* No harm including a possible title for the letter though likely a different title will be given by the editor.
* Carbon copy (cc) or blind carbon copy (bcc) to colleagues, your local MP, etc.
* For email: write in the body of the email (not as an attachment). No formatting (no colour, bold etc)
* Check spelling & grammar & clarity.
* Must include date, must include your name and address and day-time phone number in case they want to verify that you are the real author of the letter or want to check detail/s (usually they don't).
* If responding to an article/or letter, need to mention it. Each paper will have a standard format for doing this. E.g. Terry Kreig misses the point with his diatribe about the 'wonders' of nuclear energy (letters, March 29). Or for response to an article, something like this: I would like to correct one point in John Smith's otherwise excellent article on nuclear power ('Nuclear No Go Zone', July 13).

Great media stuff at these websites and in the sites they link to:
* media.socialchange.net.au/using_media/Contents.html
* www.greenpeace.org.au/getactive/happen/get.html
* www.greenpeace.org.au/getactive/happen/tell.html

Write yourself a template like this and keep it where you can easily find it when you get the letter writing itch...

Date, 2006

Dear Letters Editor,

I would be grateful if you could consider the following letter.

Yours sincerely,
Name
Address
Ph
Email

TITLE

... text of letter ...

Name
Suburb

EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR LETTERS EDITORS

NATIONAL
Australian Financial Review edle...@afr.com.au
The Australian lett...@theaustralian.com.au
Bulletin letters bull...@acp.com.au
Business Review Weekly letters (2005): brwe...@brw.fairfax.com.au
Crikey - b...@crikey.com.au

VICTORIA
Herald-Sun hsle...@hwt.newsltd.com.au or hsed...@ozemail.com.au
Sunday Herald Sun shsl...@hwt.newsltd.com.au
The Age lett...@theage.fairfax.com.au
MX (Melb) t...@mxnet.com.au
The Melbourne Times (weekly) lett...@metmedia.com.au

ACT - Canberra Times lett...@canberratimes.com.au

NSW
Sydney Morning Herald lett...@smh.com.au
Daily Telegraph dtml...@matp.newsltd.com.au or lett...@dailytelegraph.com.au
NSW Sunday Telegraph sunt...@matp.newsltd.com.au or lett...@sundaytelegraph.com.au
Sun Herald shle...@mail.fairfax.com.au
Illawarra Mercury edi...@illnews.com.au

NT
Northern Territory News ntnm...@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Alice Springs News alic...@ozemail.com.au
Katherine Times m...@kathtimes.com.au
Territory Times m...@territorytimes.com.au
Centralian Advocate cene...@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Tennant and District Times tdti...@switch.com.au

QUEENSLAND
Courier Mail cmle...@qnp.newsltd.com.au
Qld Sunday Mail smle...@qnp.newsltd.com.au
Cairns Post edit...@tcp.newsltd.com.au
News Mail Edit...@news-mail.com.au
SA
Adelaide Advertiser adve...@adv.newsltd.com.au, or via website form:
www.news.com.au/adelaidenow.
Sunday Mail mail...@adv.newsltd.com.au
The Murray Pioneer (Country SA) mpio...@riverland.net.au
Yorke Peninsula Country Times: y...@ypct.com.au

TASMANIA
Tasmania: Mercury merc...@dbl.newsltd.com.au
Examiner (?): edi...@examiner.com.au

WA - Western Australian lett...@wanews.com.au

TV - Today Show (Ch9 TV) toda...@nine.com.au