What questions do you have about writing Letters to the Editor?
Brett Cease
3861 Posts
If you've listened to CCL Communications Director's Steve Valk's Writing Effective Letters to the Editor training and have a question, post it here to have it answered by one of CCL's Print Media Action Team members. 

And if you'd like to join the Print Media Team, click on "Connect With Others," then "Action Teams," then click on "Print Media" to join!
 
13 Replies
Sandy Simon
531 Posts
How do I connect with other writers who want to submit LTEs to newspapers across the country, especially in districts without chapters in order to educate the public and generate interest in CCL?
Brett Cease
3861 Posts
Thanks Paula! I'll defer to Amy Bennett‍ and the Liaisons team for their perspective, but my impression/experience has found that rather than using a webform tool, instead sending a direct email to the Congressional staffer(s) you work closest with (i.e. Energy Aide, Legislative Director, District Director, etc.) is the best way to flag the LTE being published and continue the conversation with the office, demonstrating the important work you're doing in district.
Paula Danz
19 Posts
Hi Amy,

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly with this helpful information.  

Much appreciated!
Paula
 
Brett,  I am on the Media Team for our chapter (Perrysburg OH).  I noticed on the LTE 'Tool", there is a little box at the bottom to check if an article was "published".  Has that always been there?:-)  If we opt to use the tool, you will be receiving all of our letters written - even those not published - even those which will never be published.  Is that the goal? 
Thanks, Karen
Hi Karen! Nope, that has not always been there - good catch! We used to just track published LTEs. Now, with the Action Tracker, you can track LTEs that you submit AND you can mark when those letters are published. This gives us a better sense of the volunteer inputs when it comes to media, and not only the outputs / results. So yes, the goal is to understand how many letters are being submitted, even if they do not get published. Hope that's clearer!
Thank you Flannery!  That was how I was interpreting it-
K
Hi, I have a question related to LTEs. In general, how long would you give a paper to publish an LTE before submitting it elsewhere? Some papers request that a letter to them is only to them, so I'd want to give them the exclusivity they want--so I give them a week? Usually I hear back within 2-3 days, but sometimes it has been up to a week.... Just wondering whether there is any official word or advice! Thank you!
Hi Flannery,

I think I missed something. Should we now log all the LTEs we submit in the Action Tool?

Thanks,
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
Yes, all LTEs should be submitted in the Action Tool. Just don't select the 'published' button. Later, you can edit to check the publish button and the date the LTE appeared when prompted. You can also then add a web link to the publication if available.
Sorry I'm jumping in, I hope that's OK, Flannery!
Cheers,
Susana
 
Brett Cease
3861 Posts
You got it, thanks for the great advice Susana and the great question Michelle!
No problem! Thanks for explaining that, Susana.

And to answer your question, there's no hard rule on how much time to allow, but a week should be sufficient. 
Hello - I tried to access the link for LTE topics on community but they are not active
Brett Cease
3861 Posts
Thanks Danielle - try clicking here and see if that does the trick: LTE Topics 😀

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