344:, which started with an anonymous essay). By the 1970s, editors had developed strong negative attitudes toward anonymous letters, and by the end of the 20th century, about 94 percent of newspapers automatically rejected anonymous LTEs. Some newspapers in the 1980s and 1990s created special anonymous opinion forums that allowed people to either record short verbal opinions via telephone (which were then transcribed and published) or send letters that were either unsigned or where the author used a pseudonym. Although many journalists derided the anonymous call-in forums as unethical (for instance, someone could make an unfounded opinion without worry of the consequences or having to back the comment up with hard facts), defenders argued that such forums upheld the free-press tradition of vigorous, uninhibited debate similar to that found in earlier newspapers.
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smaller percentage of submissions and small-circulation publications running nearly all of the relatively few letters they receive. Editors generally read all submissions, but in general most will automatically reject letters that include profanity, libelous statements, personal attacks against individuals or specific organizations, that are unreasonably long (most publications suggest length limits ranging from 200 to 500 words) or that are submitted anonymously.
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371:, several news organizations announced they would only accept e-mail LTEs). Because the Internet broadly expanded the potential readership of editorials and opinion columns at small newspapers, their controversial editorials or columns could sometimes attract much more e-mail than they were used to handling — so much so that a few newspapers had their e-mail servers crash.
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On the other hand, many editors will allow the publication of anonymous letters where the details of name and address of the author are not printed, but are disclosed to the editor. This can promote a debate of issues that are personal, contentious or embarrassing, yet are of importance to raise in a
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Letters to the Editor (LTEs) have been a feature of
American newspapers since the 18th century. Many of the earliest news reports and commentaries published by early-American newspapers were delivered in the form of letters, and by the mid-18th century, LTEs were a dominant carrier of political and
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Although LTE management gets little attention in trade journals, one organization, the
National Conference of Editorial Writers, often includes essays on LTE management in its newsletter, The Masthead, and at its annual meetings. Among the NCEW's strongest champions for LTEs was Ronald D. Clark of
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Modern LTE forums differ little from those earlier counterparts. A typical forum will include a half-dozen to a dozen letters (or excerpts from letters). The letters chosen for publication usually are only a sample of the total letters submitted, with larger-circulation publications running a much
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was shaken by scandal when letters sharply attacking Begin, which had been published in major dailies, were proven to have been authored by Begin's rivals for the party leadership and sent to the papers under various aliases and false names. As a result, the rivals were discredited and eventually
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ahead of print" practice in many journals now allows unsolicited letters to the editor (and authors' reply) to appear in the same print issue of the journal, as long as they are sent in the interval between the electronic publication of the original paper and its appearance in print.
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The latter criterion is a fairly recent development in LTE management. Prior to the Cold War paranoia of the mid-20th century, anonymous LTEs were common; in fact, the right to write anonymously was central to the free-press/free-speech movement (as in the 1735 trial against
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Reitsma is a liar and we can prove it". The revelation led to a recall campaign that built up steam, but
Reitsma resigned the day before the formal recall election could take place. He is the only modern Canadian politician to be forced from office due to a recall campaign.
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the St. Paul
Pioneer Press, who wrote, "Consider letters as a barometer of how well (you are) engaging readers or viewers. The more you receive, the more you're connecting. The fewer you receive, the stronger the sign that you're putting the masses to sleep."
332:, which were widely reprinted in early American newspapers. Through the 19th century, LTEs were increasingly centralized near the editorials of newspapers, so that by the turn of the 20th century LTEs had become permanent fixtures of the opinion pages.
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of a paper, often critical of some aspect of the original paper. The authors of the original paper sometimes respond to these with a letter of their own. Controversial papers in mainstream journals often attract numerous letters to the editor. Good
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Commenting on a current issue being debated by a governing body – local, regional or national depending on the publication's circulation. Often, the writer will urge elected officials to make their decision based on their
433:. There are some variations on this practice. Some journals request open commentaries as a matter of course, which are published together with the original paper, and any authors' reply, in a process called
460:'s career ended in scandal in 1999, after he signed letters addressed to newspapers as "Warren Betanko" praising himself and attacking his political opponents. His local paper wrote a
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By the early 21st century, the
Internet had become a delivery system for many LTEs via e-mail and news websites (in fact, after several envelopes containing a powder suspected to be
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Although primarily considered a function of print publications, LTEs also are present in electronic media. In broadcast journalism, LTEs have always been a semi-regular feature of
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services list the original papers together with all replies. Depending on the length of the letter and the journal's style, other types of headings may be used, such as
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social discourse. Many influential essays about the role of government in matters such as personal freedoms and economic development took the form of letters — consider
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383:", or "fake grass-roots" operations where sample letters are distributed on the Internet or otherwise, to be copied or rewritten and submitted as personal letters.
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about an issue of concern to the reader. Usually, such letters are intended for publication. In many publications, letters to the editor may be sent either through
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Commenting on material (such as a news story) that has appeared in a previous edition. Such letters may either be critical or praising.
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expelled from the party, which helped buttress Begin's leadership position up to win the 1977 general elections and become
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Sometimes a letter to the editor in a local newspaper, such as the "Dear IRS" letter written by Ed
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in support or to criticize an opponent can have significant consequences. For example, Canadian politician
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The subject matter of letters to the editor vary widely. However, the most common topics include:
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Letter to the editor by J. J. McCarthy, demanding the publication of his letter to the
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Editors are a frequent target of letter-writing campaigns, also called "
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Supporting or opposing a stance taken by the publication in its
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531:"Definition from Duke University's University Writing Program"
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360:. LTEs also are widespread on the Internet in various forms.
404:, will end up receiving attention from the national media.
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Letters to the editor are most frequently associated with
241:, or responding to another writer's letter to the editor.
608:"Disgraced B.C. MLA Reitsma seeks political redemption"
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60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
251:Correcting a perceived error or misrepresentation.
197:such as entertainment and technical magazines and
193:, however, they are sometimes published in other
561:Action Tips: Organize a Letter Writing Campaign
273:The examples and perspective in this section
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452:Submitting a letter under a false name to
291:, or create a new section, as appropriate.
307:Learn how and when to remove this message
120:Learn how and when to remove this message
592:'Dear IRS' rant against taxes hits nerve
582:The Jewish Federations of North America
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27:Letter sent by readers to a publication
329:Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania
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58:adding citations to reliable sources
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480:Party of then opposition leader
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140:which was commented upon in the
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397:Wichita Falls Times Record News
45:needs additional citations for
536:. Uwp.duke.edu. Archived from
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510:Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells
439:. The introduction of the "
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356:and the news programs of
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487:Prime Minister of Israel
422:postpublication reviews
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69:"Letter to the editor"
668:Freedom of expression
635:Letters to the editor
614:. September 24, 2011.
358:National Public Radio
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643:by Andrew Ferguson (
637:at Wikimedia Commons
436:open peer commentary
402:Wichita Falls, Texas
285:improve this section
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54:improve this article
646:Wall Street Journal
414:academic publishing
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673:Letters (message)
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448:Misrepresentation
427:citation indexing
420:are usually open
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52:Please help
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215:viewer mail
195:periodicals
172:publication
662:Categories
573:Sample LTE
547:2011-11-08
517:References
462:front-page
354:60 Minutes
245:viewpoint.
211:talk radio
207:television
187:newspapers
170:sent to a
110:April 2022
80:newspapers
289:talk page
239:columnist
235:editorial
148:John Gray
612:CBC News
576:Archived
493:See also
472:In 1966
408:Academic
283:You may
237:or by a
365:anthrax
256:History
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476:, the
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