trainingeditors

established 2008

Media Training

Letters To The Editor

courtesy of The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom © 2007

edited for current technology and polyamory by PMA

Letters to the editor are an effective way to convey a positive image of alternate sexual practices such as SM, polyamory and swinging. Letters help to de-stigmatize negative social myths and misconceptions about these types of practices. These letters help achieve the advocacy goals of NCSF & PMA because they:

• • Reach a large audience

  • Are monitored regularly by elected officials

  • Can introduce new information not addressed in a news article

  • Foster an impression that there is widespread support for or opposition to an issue

  • We also suggest that you send copies of letters that you write to members of Congress to your local newspaper editors. These letters are often published to highlight a specific issue in the editorial section.

Keep your letter short and on one subject. Newspapers typically have strict space limits for the editorial section and limited space. Keeping your letter short helps your chances of getting the letter published in its entirety, without important points being edited by the newspaper.

Make sure your letter is legible and words are spelled correctly. Your letter may be simple and short, but make sure that spelling and grammar are correct.

Include your contact information. Newspapers sometimes call to verify a person's identity or address and will usually only publish letters with complete names and addresses. It is recommended that you also include a telephone number, if possible. Newspapers keep this information confidential and usually publish the person's name and city only.

Reference the publication and article. Many newspapers only print letters referencing a specific article. Include the specifics such as "As a concerned resident of Baltimore, I am writing in reference to your article in the latest issue of (insert publication name), dated July 23rd titled "Polyamory and the Law."

Describe what you liked or didn't like about the article. NCSF sometimes includes a recommended response on important topics stating their position, which can be easily tailored to fit your personal use.

Personalize your opinion with the news article. Use examples that reference your own experience. Examples are: "As someone who has experienced job discrimination because of my alternative sexual practices, I feel strongly that...", or "As a long-time member of the polyamory community, I think...".

Frame yourself to establish common ground with the reader. We believe that it is important to frame yourself so readers relate to something you have in common with them. Frame yourself in terms of things like "parent, professional, involved member of my local community, proud U.S. citizen, former military officer, retired person, young person", or other ways that might enable you to relate to the readers as an individual they share something in common with. This also helps dispel the myth that alternative sexual expression is "wrong" or "abnormal."

Reference positive facts. Check the sound bites for the SM, swing and polyamory communities.

Stress the importance of national communities that promote safe and consensual sexual practices among adults through mentoring and education.

Focus on the issues, not the sexual practices. Try to focus the letter on violence and discrimination. The media already sensationalizes sexual activities and portrays them negatively most of the time. Try not to give them, or the radical right, any more ammunition than they already have by discussing your own sexual practices.

Point out that SM, swinging and polyamory is fun and enjoyable. The images and words depicted through the media about these things are often negative and frightening to those who don't understand it. Words like "violence" are often associated with it wrongly, and the activities are frequently sensationalized and misrepresented. Discuss the caring relationships, intimacy, trust and communications aspects of these relationships whenever possible, stress that you like and enjoy it, and don't be afraid to mention that humor and laughter can also be part of these activities.

Email submissions are now the norm and are no longer dismissed as irrelevent by editors, however actual letters or faxes can still be sent and are still considered by editors. Email submissions are, however, given more weight than comments at the end of an article. But the comments section can also be a useful tool for connecting to the online readers, and these suggestions are particuarly important there too, such as using correct spelling and grammar and making calm, non-sensationalized comments.

Send letters to community newspapers also. It's often much easier to get letters published in small publications than larger ones. If you're sending a response to a larger publication, copy the smaller newspapers as well.

Send letters to NCSF. Be sure to send a copy of your letters to NCSF so we can track responses. Send to NCSF at media@ncsfreedom.org or 1312 18th Street, NW, Suite102, Washington, DC 20036.

© PMA 2008