Source: API's Spring Issue of "Animal Issues," pp 20-25.
Visit them on-line at:
http://www.api4animals.org
While not everyone reads the opinion pages of the
newspaper, the most influential people certainly do! Public and
corporate officials, as well as the media, PAY GREAT ATTENTION to what
appears in opinion letters and columns. Having a letter published,
particularly in a major paper, is probably the single most effective
action you can take on behalf of animals. It takes very little time and
costs nothing but the price of a first-class stamp or logging onto the
Internet.
However, if your letter is timely, concise, and written
well; it stands a VERY GOOD CHANCE OF BEING PUBLISHED, especially by the
smaller, local papers. The best opportunities for submitting letters to
the editor are in response to a recent news item, opinion piece or
another letter that appeared in the paper, or in anticipation of an
event such as a vote on animal-related legislation, the circus's arrival
in town, the annual Fur-Free Friday or Meatout observances, Easter,
Christmas, etc. etc.
The first step is to determine the newspaper's
requirements for submitting letters. This information is available by
calling the paper, checking the paper's website, or looking on the
letters page itself. If no word limit is specified, keep your letter to
200-250 words. Restrict your remarks to two or three points on one
subject. HUMOR, IRONY, AND EVEN SARCASM � in moderation � CAN WORK WELL.
Go on to Avoid Hitting
Deer
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