How to Write a Letter to the Editor that Gets Published and Read – Part Two –
Letter to the Editor Tips from an Expert (Case Study)
Mila Rosenthal, Amnesty International USA's (AISUA)
Director, Business and Human Rights Program, is a
Letter to the Editor expert. She has succeeded in placing
letters in national publications vital to AIUSA's advocacy
efforts. Today, we look at two letters published by
Rosenthal -- one in the New York Times and the second in
the Christian Science Monitor. Read on to review these
strong examples of concise, pointed Letters to the Editor,
and Rosenthal's tips for your own efforts.
- Letter One: Explaining Wal-Mart's Global Mistreatment
of Workers
One of Rosenthal's most powerful missives was to the
editor of the New York Times after reading reporter
Cathy Horyn's tongue-in-cheek article on shopping at
Wal-Mart. Rosenthal took the opportunity to build on
Horyn's passing mention that her style bargains may
have come at the expense of child laborers. At a
time when Wal-Mart's unfair labor practices were
relatively unknown, Rosenthal's letter raised the
broader advocacy point about Wal-Mart's poor
treatment of its workforce worldwide. Here goes:
Shopping at Wal-Mart
(NYT, September 2, 2002)
To the Editor:
"Unabashed Wal-Mart Shopper Speaks" urges the
company to be more concerned about child labor in the
countries where its products are made.
In the United States, Wal-Mart has helped drive down
wages in the retail sector and has faced numerous
lawsuits by employees alleging anti-union policies,
sex discrimination and unfair wage practices. As for
its production overseas, Wal-Mart's policy of sourcing
from the cheapest, least regulated labor markets has
spurred the global growth of sweatshops.
Some other companies, as a result of targeting by
activists, have at least sought to investigate
working conditions. Wal-Mart has refused even to
disclose the locations of the factories it uses,
let alone support any independent monitoring or
investigation of those factories.
Mila Rosenthal
New York, Aug. 28, 2002
The writer is director, Workers Rights Program,
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.
The letter's impact has been "positive but only
anecdotal," reports Rosenthal. She recalls that
"the letter did draw attention to the Lawyers
Committee (her previous employer) and brought
another perspective to the Times' coverage of
the workers rights issue."
She stresses that, "The impact of letters is seldom
measurable. Your nonprofit must believe in the
strategy of public advocacy to pursue writing
letters. And, it's our only opportunity for
unaltered messaging."
- Letter Two: Clarifying a Misinterpreted Judgment on
the Right to Sue Corporations for Human
Rights Abuses
Another of Rosenthal's Letters to the Editor was
motivated by national media coverage of a Supreme
Court decision to uphold the core principles of the
Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA). "Because of the
complicated way in which this act (enabling human
rights victims to sue individuals or companies
involved in the abuses) was written," says Rosenthal,
"it was widely misunderstood as a victory for
corporations and a defeat for human rights."
Rosenthal sought to clarify that companies could still
be sued under this act. She reviewed key national
newspapers to pinpoint those that had misinterpreted
the ruling, since these offered the greatest
opportunity to correct the record. Her Letter to the
Editor of the Christian Science Monitor confirms
that victims of human rights violations can indeed
sue perpetrators, be they individuals or corporations,
and goes on to emphasize the importance of corporate
responsibility for US multinationals.
Here is Rosenthal's letter:
Foreign victims can still seek US justice
(Christian Science Monitor, July 12, 2004)
Regarding your June 30 article "Ruling Makes it Harder
for Foreigners to Sue in US Courts": Rebuffing efforts
by the Bush administration and business associations,
the Supreme Court recently upheld the core principles
of the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA). Rather than
viewing the decision as a "setback for international
human rights activists" and a "victory for US-based
corporations," the decision should be seen as a
victory for victims of human rights abuses seeking
justice in US courts.
The Supreme Court ruled that the ATCA still allows
foreign victims of serious human rights violations -
including torture, genocide, and slavery - to sue
individuals or companies involved in the abuses.
US multinationals have an important role to play
abroad in upholding international standards through
developing and implementing comprehensive global
human rights policies for businesses. No US company
should behave worse abroad than it does at home.
Mila Rosenthal
New York
Director, Business, Environment and Human Rights Program,
Amnesty International USA
Rosenthal's Tips for Letter to the Editor Success
Clearly, Rosenthal is a letter to the editor artist.
Here are some of the tips she shared in a recent interview.
- Identify which type of Letter to the Editor you are
writing.
Rosenthal distinguishes between the letter to correct the
public record and the advocacy letter, crafted to get your
message out on an issue. The "correction" letter is motivated
by your nonprofit being misquoted or an issue area in which you
work is misrepresented. This letter is pretty straightforward.
Follow the basic guidelines outlined in Part One of this series:
http://www.nancyschwartz.com/letters_to_the_editor.html
The advocacy letter, of which Rosenthal's letters on Wal-Mart
workers and the Supreme Court decision are great examples, is
motivated by your interest in getting your organization's
perspective out on an issue recently covered, or a broader,
yet connected issue.
Rosenthal offers the following tips:
- Focus on enhancing or spinning off article or
editorial content. Make sure to reference a
published article as your jumping off point.
- Position the publication as your ally. Attack the
problem or the villain, rather than the
publication. Don't use phrases such as "you
failed to mention" or "you missed the point."
- Begin your letter by acknowledging the reporter
for covering an important topic.
- Ensure that your letter is reviewed by your organization's
media expert.
Rosenthal stresses the importance of the right program (in
a large organization) submitting its Letter to the Editor,
on the right issue at the right time. "Remember that an
organization is likely to have a letter placed only once
or twice a year," she cautions.
Rosenthal initiates the process by pitching her letter
concept to AIUSA's media department, framing it with an
explanation of the motivating article and why she wants to
respond. When given the okay, she drafts the letter which
is then edited by the media relations staff.
End product? Strong and consistent organizational voice
and a targeted Letter to the Editor campaign over the
course of a year and the course of coverage of relevant
issues.
- Encourage local offices or activists to submit Letters
to the Editor in local papers.
National or international organizations have a lot to gain
from local and regional coverage, says Rosenthal. Local
media will surely reach key audiences.
AIUSA equips its local activists to do so with an
organizational media training kit supplemented by
issue-specific kits. "Many people lack confidence when
dealing with the media," says Rosenthal, noting limited
success to date with this strategy. "But our student
activists, who tend to be bolder, have been very successful
in placing Letters to the Editor."
- Self-publish your nonprofit's Letter to the Editor
Rosenthal makes the most of the content in her Letters
to the Editor. Whether or not they are published in
target vehicles, they're broadly re-purposed broadly --
on the organizational website, the volunteer activist
listserv (who then push content out to their networks),
and in online information clearinghouses used by activists,
investors, government officials and others in the field of
business and human rights.
I'm looking forward to Rosenthal's next published Letter
to the Editor. I know it will be a powerful one. Thanks Mila.
© 2002-2008 Nancy E. Schwartz. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Nancy E. Schwartz helps nonprofits succeed through effective marketing and communications. As President of Nancy Schwartz & Company (www.nancyschwartz.com), Nancy and her team provide marketing planning and implementation services to organizations as varied as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Center for Asian American Media, and Wake County (NC) Health Services.
Subscribe to her free e-newsletter "Getting Attention", (http://www.nancyschwartz.com/getting_attention.html) and read her blog at http://www.gettingattention.org for more insights, ideas and great tips on attracting the attention your organization deserves.
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