Letters to the Editor

Thank you to Dr. Sunny Aslam in Syracuse for compiling these helpful tips for writing Letters to the Editor! Scroll down to see New Yorkers' Letter for New York Health! Sign up here to volunteer with the Letters for New York Health campaign -- as a writer, a letter submitter, or as a regional letters coordinator.

Write a Letter for New York Health 

One of the most effective ways of communication about our work to #PassNYHealth and #healthcare4all is by writing letters to the editor of your local daily media. Newspapers and websites appreciate getting letters and printing them, though they often are unable to print all of them. Letters allow us to reach a wide audience, and educate them on critical issues. It can help activate others to get involved and stand up for universal healthcare. We also know that elected officials watch closely when their name is in print. With letters, we can call them out or let them know what we want them to do.
To increase the likelihood of getting printed, it often helps to:
  1. Refer to a healthcare article recently printed, even if only slightly related to heath care. These days this isn't hard with healthcare in the news so often.
  2. Follow all guidelines for the letter to be printed, which are often found on the media web site. There is often a word limit. Include your name, address, and phone number so they can confirm you are the writer. 
  3. Tie the healthcare topic in with some education about The New York Health Act #medicare4all and why universal healthcare is such an urgent issue, possibly including a personal experience. For example, a physician will likely have anecdotes about how the broken health system affects their patients. 
  4. Conclude with an ask, typically to activate someone to do something: a politician to support the New York Health Act, or for people to get involved in an upcoming event, etc.
Don't get discouraged if your first submission does not get printed. Like with all revolutions, persistence wins out. I have often even contacted the editor directly and asked why my letters were not printed. 
 
Finally, have fun with it! It's nice to see your name in print.

Letters to the Editor from New Yorkers supporting New York Health (list in progress! Email a link of your published letter to [email protected])