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Submit a Letter to the Editor
Published: Friday, February 25, 2011 at 11:28 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at 3:33 p.m.
How to get your letter published
One of the best read parts of the editorial pages is Letters to the Editor. We appreciate receiving and sharing the opinions of our readers on important issues in the news.
We love getting letters about government, politics, the environment, the schools, law enforcement, foreign affairs, defense and, yes, our editorial opinions on the issues. We're getting more letters than ever, so be patient; it may take a week or two for your letter to be printed. To help us, and your fellow writers, we ask that you closely follow our guidelines for letters to the editor:
1. Submit by email or mail: You do not need to be a subscriber to send a letter to the editor. Send an email to Opinion@StarNewsOnline.com. This is our preferred method of receiving letters. Please limit yourself to 1,300 characters, which comes out to roughly 225 words. If you do not have access to a computer, you may mail a letter of no more than 225 words addressed to Letters to the Editor, StarNews Media, 1003 S. 17th St., Wilmington, NC 28401.
2. Identify yourself: You must include your name, home address and home telephone number. That helps us verify that you – and not someone using your name – wrote the letter. We print only your name and community of residence.
3. Be brief: Shorter letters that make a single point pack more punch; avoid including multiple topics in the same letter. And please, share the space. No more than one letter per month, please.
4. What to say: The letters column is a place to offer opinions on current public issues. That usually means something that was in the StarNews within the previous couple of weeks. Keep it fresh, as opposed to dwelling on controversies that have long since run their course. Be original, and don't lean too heavily on specific facts or statistics. Letters should be based on fact but should not read like a list of talking points. The best letters convey the writer's personal feelings about a particular subject rather than repeating information gleaned from other sources. If you do back up your letter with data or a specific fact, please cite a credible, unbiased source. If we cannot quickly verify it or it distorts the truth, we will edit it out.
5. Be considerate. Disagreement is what makes the Letters to the Editor a lively forum. Attack policies, attack opinions, attack positions. But unless it's a public figure whose conduct calls into question his or her character, please don't attack the person.
6. Be inclusive, and be yourself. Letters should be written as if addressing the readers or editor rather than a third party, such as a politician. We do not publish anonymous letters, pseudonyms, or letters with incomplete identification.
7. What not to say: We won't publish letters that are potentially libelous, that contain profanity or racist remarks, that insult or stereotype entire groups of people, that quote heavily from other sources or religious texts, that are theological in nature, or that contain personal attacks or name-calling. We don't knowingly print letters that have been written by others, that are part of lobbying or letter-writing campaigns, or that have been sent to other publications.
8. We usually don't publish poetry, thank-you letters, or reports of personal experiences with businesses, institutions or individuals. If your letter concerns customer service or another department at the StarNews, we'll forward it to that department. If it announces a future event, or includes newsworthy information, we'll pass it to the newsroom. If you wish to share a story about a local good Samaritan or timely instance of generosity, please submit it at www.StarNewsOnline.com/goodwillstories for consideration for the Goodwill column that appears Wednesdays in the Living Local section.
9. You'll be edited. Please don't be offended; everything that appears in the newspaper has to get through at least one meddlesome editor, and usually more. Among other things, we reserve the right to edit letters for space, clarity, accuracy, civility, grammar and spelling. Our goal is to convey the point of your message as clearly as possible.
If you have any questions about letters, please email scott.nunn@starnewsonline.com.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.
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