Letters to the Editor
What is a Letter to the Editor?
The letters sections of newspapers and magazines are prime forums for getting your message to a wide
audience. Letters to the editor in local and regional papers are read by local activists, government
officials, legislators and many community members.
Your letter can support and expand on something already in the news, make a point that was omitted,
or disagree with/correct misinformation from a news story, editorial or another letter.
The letters sections of newspapers and magazines are prime forums for getting your message to a wide
audience. Letters to the editor in local and regional papers are read by local activists, government
officials, legislators and many community members.
Your letter can support and expand on something already in the news, make a point that was omitted,
or disagree with/correct misinformation from a news story, editorial or another letter.
What Should I Write?
We’ve written a sample letter for you to copy if that is helpful. This should give you an idea of the kind
of thing you can do. Feel free to send this directly as is, customize it, or write something completely
different. It’s totally fine to do any of those three options!
Keep in mind that naming the jewelry companies, especially the leaders, will increase the likelihood that
it could have a direct effect on the decision makers at these companies.
With Valentine’s Day upon us, everyone has the opportunity to make jewelry purchasing choices
that support peace and development in one of the deadliest conflict zones in the world.
According to a recent Enough Project report, Signet Jewelers (Kay, Jared, and Zales) and Tiffany
& Co. are leading efforts to ensure their gold jewelry is part of the solution to violence in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. J.C. Penney, Cartier, and Target were also noted for taking
important initial steps.
Jewelry is a gift that carries a message of love. Let that gift also help bring peace.
Congo is home to the deadliest conflict since World War II, with over 5.4 million people dead.
Minerals, especially gold, are illegally mined and traded by armed groups, helping fund their
atrocities. There are multiple parts to the solution, but one piece of the puzzle is ensuring that
jewelry companies get engaged by understanding their own supply chains, creating a demand
for conflict-free gold from Congo, and supporting programs for local mining communities.
All companies that sell jewelry have the opportunity to be a part of breaking the link between
gold and violence in Congo and the surrounding region. But companies rarely make a deep
commitment... unless their consumers demand it. Get Engaged! Join the campaign to invest in
conflict-free gold from Congo.
We’ve written a sample letter for you to copy if that is helpful. This should give you an idea of the kind
of thing you can do. Feel free to send this directly as is, customize it, or write something completely
different. It’s totally fine to do any of those three options!
Keep in mind that naming the jewelry companies, especially the leaders, will increase the likelihood that
it could have a direct effect on the decision makers at these companies.
With Valentine’s Day upon us, everyone has the opportunity to make jewelry purchasing choices
that support peace and development in one of the deadliest conflict zones in the world.
According to a recent Enough Project report, Signet Jewelers (Kay, Jared, and Zales) and Tiffany
& Co. are leading efforts to ensure their gold jewelry is part of the solution to violence in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo. J.C. Penney, Cartier, and Target were also noted for taking
important initial steps.
Jewelry is a gift that carries a message of love. Let that gift also help bring peace.
Congo is home to the deadliest conflict since World War II, with over 5.4 million people dead.
Minerals, especially gold, are illegally mined and traded by armed groups, helping fund their
atrocities. There are multiple parts to the solution, but one piece of the puzzle is ensuring that
jewelry companies get engaged by understanding their own supply chains, creating a demand
for conflict-free gold from Congo, and supporting programs for local mining communities.
All companies that sell jewelry have the opportunity to be a part of breaking the link between
gold and violence in Congo and the surrounding region. But companies rarely make a deep
commitment... unless their consumers demand it. Get Engaged! Join the campaign to invest in
conflict-free gold from Congo.
How Do I Send It? Where Do I Direct the Letter?
Email!
We’ll help you find exactly to whom you can email the letter, if this is something new for you, both the
publication and the direct email address itself. If you already know of great local publications, that’s
even better.
You should email your letter directly in the body of the email (never send unsolicited attachments. The
Subject line should be “Letter re: your topic or article name.” If you wish to copy others, or submit to
more than one publication, do so in a separate email.
Include your address and daytime phone number for verification.
When writing to your local newspaper (not recommended for larger city or national publications), feel
free to follow up with a polite phone inquiry about its status if it doesn’t appear within 4-5 days to
ensure it was received and considered.
Email!
We’ll help you find exactly to whom you can email the letter, if this is something new for you, both the
publication and the direct email address itself. If you already know of great local publications, that’s
even better.
You should email your letter directly in the body of the email (never send unsolicited attachments. The
Subject line should be “Letter re: your topic or article name.” If you wish to copy others, or submit to
more than one publication, do so in a separate email.
Include your address and daytime phone number for verification.
When writing to your local newspaper (not recommended for larger city or national publications), feel
free to follow up with a polite phone inquiry about its status if it doesn’t appear within 4-5 days to
ensure it was received and considered.
Tips & Tricks:
THINK ABOUT AUDIENCE. Speak in the language and to the literacy level of that publication’s
readers. Don’t “dumb it down” but be accessible. When in doubt, aim to the level of an
intelligent friend or relative who knows nothing about your subject.
KEEP IT SIMPLE. Focus on one important point (don’t try to address separate issues in one
letter).
BE CONCISE: Maximize your chance of being published by removing every non-essential word.
For example, don’t say, “I think...” or “Furthermore, it’s also important to point out that...” or
“As I just stated...” It’s obvious. This also minimizes the chance of editors changing the letter.
GET IT RIGHT: Use verified facts. Take the time to check original sources rather than repeating
“fact” cited in another media outlet.
MAKE A CONNECTION TO THE AUDIENCE: Create immediacy by indicating how readers will be
affected by the issue you address when possible. Get Engaged! Join the campaign to invest in
conflict-free gold from
APPEAR BALANCED: Try to balance criticism with a positive — ask readers for action when
practical. This includes your elected representatives — by including their names in the letter and
asking for action, you can get their attention. In this case, by including the names of jewelry
companies, their decision makers are more likely to pay attention.
BE A RESOURCE: Point people to a source for more information or to engage in action whenever
practical.
WEB LINKS: If the publication publishes an online version, hyperlink the relevant websites or
emails. Though urls may not be included in print, if your target publication includes links in
letters published online, be sure to include the most relevant link(s) in yours.
AVOID JARGON or acronyms (spell out any name the first time you use it, followed by the
acronym in parentheses).
DON’T CAPITALIZE OR BOLD TEXT to emphasize a word. It will rarely be printed that way and
may prevent your from being considered. You may italicize one or two words, but most papers
will print it in plain text regardless — the words must speak for themselves. Use quotation
marks to indicate the title of a book, article, etc.
DON’T: overstate/exaggerate your points. One overstatement makes every following point
suspect.
DON’T: insult your opponents.
THINK ABOUT AUDIENCE. Speak in the language and to the literacy level of that publication’s
readers. Don’t “dumb it down” but be accessible. When in doubt, aim to the level of an
intelligent friend or relative who knows nothing about your subject.
KEEP IT SIMPLE. Focus on one important point (don’t try to address separate issues in one
letter).
BE CONCISE: Maximize your chance of being published by removing every non-essential word.
For example, don’t say, “I think...” or “Furthermore, it’s also important to point out that...” or
“As I just stated...” It’s obvious. This also minimizes the chance of editors changing the letter.
GET IT RIGHT: Use verified facts. Take the time to check original sources rather than repeating
“fact” cited in another media outlet.
MAKE A CONNECTION TO THE AUDIENCE: Create immediacy by indicating how readers will be
affected by the issue you address when possible. Get Engaged! Join the campaign to invest in
conflict-free gold from
APPEAR BALANCED: Try to balance criticism with a positive — ask readers for action when
practical. This includes your elected representatives — by including their names in the letter and
asking for action, you can get their attention. In this case, by including the names of jewelry
companies, their decision makers are more likely to pay attention.
BE A RESOURCE: Point people to a source for more information or to engage in action whenever
practical.
WEB LINKS: If the publication publishes an online version, hyperlink the relevant websites or
emails. Though urls may not be included in print, if your target publication includes links in
letters published online, be sure to include the most relevant link(s) in yours.
AVOID JARGON or acronyms (spell out any name the first time you use it, followed by the
acronym in parentheses).
DON’T CAPITALIZE OR BOLD TEXT to emphasize a word. It will rarely be printed that way and
may prevent your from being considered. You may italicize one or two words, but most papers
will print it in plain text regardless — the words must speak for themselves. Use quotation
marks to indicate the title of a book, article, etc.
DON’T: overstate/exaggerate your points. One overstatement makes every following point
suspect.
DON’T: insult your opponents.