Things Your Media Watchdog Wants You to Know About Writing Letters to the Editor (Part 2)
July 7, 2011 16:25 by Pesach Benson
Sign your name.
Your real name. And include your contact info (more on that point to come).
Published letters are on the record, so they carry more weight. When you write a letter, you are the newspaper’s source of info and/or commentary. So papers make a point of verifying letters to the editor before publishing them.
Some readers value their privacy, or don’t want to be seen publicly commenting on certain topics, and that’s understandable. But is there anything you can do if you still want to express yourself?
Just indicate that the letter isn’t for publishing.
What editors won’t do is publish letters anonymously or under false names. And for good reason. Anonymous sources are a somewhat necessary evil that shouldn’t become part of the letters page. Sock puppetry’s another a no-no. While its’ accepted that talkbacks can be rugby scrum of ongoing conversation, the letters forum has to remain credibility.
Since that requires some transparency on your part, newspapers routinely ask for contact info — usually your email address and a daytime telephone number. All they want to do is verify that you are who you say you are, and that you really expressed the wonderful thoughts they’re interested in publishing.
When you let the papers do their due diligence, they’ll give you the soapbox.
See also Part 1 in this series.
monique mendelovici
8:27 pm
Jul 07, 2011
dear sr.
As an MD and psychitarist,I wanted to answer to the lancet about pregnant palestinian women being ill-treated at checkpoints.
If this is a scientific article-as I knew they where the best,when consulting them-I would like a scientific work: why are so many pregnant palestinian women at checkpoints when they should be at home,in Gaza?There are good hospitals in Gaza..How many palestinian women were ill-treated? Reasons and statistics! I do not deny, one stupid israeli guy-there are- could be disconsiderate,but one in hundred makes an article? statistics! Could some israeli soldiers be rude -and afraid- of israeli women,because of terrorists,dressed like pregnant women? Investigation and statistics! What a good article would it be to publish a serious article,where fear on both sides could still be a prominant actor.And the huge barrier of language I lived when trying to approach arab patients in the hospital.What about that?
Most of these guys at the barriers are between 18 and 20! How are their feelings toward pregnancy? Young pregnant palestian women in front of young isrerali guys? What are their feelings?
Please,go on in being the leading scientific medical guide for MD’ s all over the world,please..
Dr.Monique Mendelovici
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Falls Sie wissen wollen, wie sich die Medien-Watchdogs Briefe an Redakteure vorstellen (Teil 2) « Medien BackSpin
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Jul 07, 2011
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Leseempfehlungen « Medien BackSpin
7:33 pm
Jul 08, 2011
[...] HonestReporting Media BackSpin, 8. Juli 2011 [...]
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