Letter to the Editor – Reader’s Response.

 You will write your letter to the editor of a local newspaper. Most students prefer the Lincoln Journal Star, but if you’d rather write to a different publication, you may. Try not to choose a newspaper with extraordinarily high circulation (like the New York Times), as your opportunity for publication will be lessened. Your letters should be a) written in response to an issue presented in the publication, or b) written to express your concern for a current issue. In other words, you can find an article or letter in the newspaper and respond to or comment on that issue, or you can come up with your own issue for your letter. Choose a topic that is meaningful to you and would be meaningful to the readers of your newspaper. You may write about your argument paper’s topic, but don’t plan on sending the newspaper your essay; your letter will need to be focused, streamlined, and tailored to a different audience. Your goal is to write a letter with a clear thesis and strong supporting evidence using whatever resources are available to you (personal experience, an interview with another, minimal research, reference to another letter). You don’t need to do any research for this letter, but you certainly may. Avoid logical fallacies, analyze the needs of your audience, choose an organization that best suits your argument, and create the balance of appeals (reason, emotion, ethics) that most successfully communicates your thesis. A common mistake many students make is to write a letter that’s much too long. Letters to the editor need to be brief, direct, concise, and clear. A newspaper has only so much space to devote to your letter and has the right to edit your letter for length, if need be. Better to have a concise letter to begin with.