Why Write Letters to the Editor?
There’s two-pronged answer to this obvious question, one noble and one not so much: – Noble: Writing letters to the editor is a time-honored way to communicate with the world at large. Notable figures ranging from George Bernard Shaw to Barack Obama have used letters to the editors of newspapers and magazines to correct the record, take a stand, show support, protest, or praise journalistic content. The US Constitution protects the freedom of the press, but the letters to the editor serve to protect the freedom of the people by keeping the foibles and follies of the press in check. – Not So Noble: Getting letters to the editor published is fun stuff. Seeing your name in print, um, yes please. So how did I get here? At various points I have been gainfully employed, or at least gainfully occupied, as a writer. In my junior year of college, the Publisher of the well-respected daily campus newspaper, a male friend of mine, asked me if I wanted to be a senior editor of the paper. Prior to t
