Write a Letter to the Editor

Why are letters to the editor important?

The Opinion section is one of the most-read in print and online
Elected officials, the editorial board of the newspaper, reporters, and other thought leaders read these
The more people write about any one topic, the more space that opinion will receive in the newspaper. So even if your LTE isn’t printed, you give a similar LTE a better chance of being printed
It helps to create an impression of widespread support for or against an issue
It can also provide information that was not addressed in a news article

Here's a good example of how to reference an article
Notice that the writer includes the title of the article as well as the date it was published

You are an expert if you are a:
- Planned Parenthood patient
- Planned Parenthood health care provider
- Health care provider
- Mother
- Person who lives in the area your newspaper covers
- Member of the LGBTQ+ community
- Voter
- Latina, African American, Asian American, or another ethnicity or race
- Young person
- Feminist
- Person who saw the effects on women before Roe v Wade
Examples of how to establish your expertise
- "I have been going to Planned Parenthood for three years, and I know how important this organization is for millions of people in this country."
- "As a mother of two young daughters, I have to stand up for women's rights."
- "As a woman who fought for abortion rights in the 1970's, I can't believe that I have to still fight for women's health care 50 years later."

If you want people to call their senator and tell them to protect Planned Parenthood's funding, say so!
- Check out this example.

Many newspapers will only print a LTE after verifying the author's identity and address
They will usually only print your name and city if your letter is published

If you’re interested in writing a letter to the editor, here are some publications that you can submit to:

Alabama

Georgia

Mississippi