Write A Letter To The Editor

Picture of someone sitting on a bench holding a newspaper in front of their face. The headline is jibberish.

Opinion pages are one of the most read pages in the newspaper, by all layers of society including public officials. Short form letters to the editor (LTEs, ~250 words) or longer-form opinion editorials (op-eds, ~750 words) are a great way for the public to chime in on important topics and even influence the long-term arc of a particular publication’s coverage.

The LTE or Letter to Editor is a brief but effective way to complement, criticize, correct, complete, or say anything relevant to a recent article. Submit to paper within one week of article’s release if possible, and no later than two weeks. Letters that do not address a previous article are sometimes published if they concisely present a new point of view on a timely issue, but referencing a previous article is more likely to get your letter published.

The Op-Ed or opinion editorial is a longer piece, usually in essay format. Many forms of writing can be considered op-eds, including explanatory essays, commentary, reflections on cultural or political trends and more. These are general commentary about issues or events in the news, not in response to content published in a specific publication. Op-Eds are more likely to be published if they’re submitted by someone with “clout” such as an issue expert, representative of a reputable organization, elected official, or other public figure.

Suggested format:

Email Subject Line = “Title of original article” or topic of your letter if not responding to an article
Body of email = your plain text letter (stay comfortably within word limit – keep it tight)
Full name (plus your title if relevant to discussion)
Credentials if relevant (educational credentials, organization you represent, office held, etc)
Home address, email, best phone #
NO: special formatting including italics, special fonts, attachments, or images

Both LTE’s and Op-Eds must be exclusive to one paper. If not published in 10 days, you can usually re-submit elsewhere, after improving of course.

LTE/Op-Ed Guidance by Publication

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Send to opinion@triblive.com.

Letters: Less than 200 words
Op-Eds: 550 – 700 words

Notes from the Opinions Editor:

Include embedded links to the article in reference and sources if possible.
Include a tagline that explains the author’s credentials if relevant.

The Pitt News

Letters: 150 to 250 words
Op-Eds: Less than 600 words

Fun fact: The Pitt News is the third largest daily paper in Pittsburgh!

Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Send to opinion@post-gazette.com.

Letters: Less than 250 words
Op-Eds: 600 – 800 words

Note: BikePGH is currently not sending press releases or opinion pieces to the Post Gazette until they negotiate a fair contract with the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. We encourage you to join us in solidarity with striking workers and NOT send opinion pieces to the Post Gazette at this time.

Writing Guide

Respect the editor’s time and they’ll return the favor. Editors are swamped and notice mostly non-euphemistic language. “I believe…” is useless according to one editor. Be concise, limit argument to one point and close it. Avoid phrases evoking war such as ‘in the trenches’ or ‘waging battle’ because glib use of such terms is not appreciated by vets who know what they really mean.
Why do you care? Add punch by invoking personal interest (financial, medical, familial, academic, etc.) Increase potential interest of the readership by sticking to local issues. NO FORM LETTERS! Read the form, put it aside and then write your own. The perspective is yours; this is not the place to speak for BikePGH or any other organization unless your bike/ped advocacy group or community organization has decided it’s strategic to do so.
Debate – don’t argue. One meaningful addition – something unknown/appreciated – is worth more than a general overview that is more common knowledge. Back it up with info, not emotion (never be libelous). Secondary sources are often incomplete and biased. Look for primaries such as scientific research, publications, or interviews. Ranting/restating an alternate point of view disqualifies your letter.
Papers prefer a broad sampling so pace your submissions (quality, not quantity). But anything worthy is considered and if not printed, may appear online – a more permanent medium. The more LTE’s received in reference to a particular issue, the more compelled an editor is to print at least one. So if you feel it, write it – no need to delegate submissions amongst ourselves.

If you are published, notify advocacy@bikepgh.org in case so we can log it for future reference. Contact us with editing issues or questions/ideas regarding the writing/submitting process.

Examples

Let’s build friendlier roads for all by Ben Peoples (Nov, 2023)

Strip District Should Cater to Pedestrians by Bruce Bland (June, 2024)

Making The Strip District Safer by Paul Mackey (July, 2024)

Other Useful Resources

Tips from the NY Times about how to get Letters and Op-Eds published.

Op-Ed Writing Tips & Tricks (The Op Ed Project)

Writing Letters to the Editor (Community Tool Box)

Tips For Framing Traffic Crashes In The Media (PedalLove.org)