Letters to the Editor

Writing a letter to your newspaper is a great and easy way to voice your support for public financing and educate your community about the issue.  Below is the information you need to get started.  When you send a letter to the editor, please also send us a copy.

Letter Writing Tips:

1. Keep it short. People will be more likely to read and remember your letter if it is pithy and concise. Many newspapers limit letters to a certain number of words. Check your local newspaper's letters page for the word limit.

2. Focus on the voters, not the politicians. Public financing is about empowering ordinary voters--encouraging our friends and neighbors to engage in democracy.

3. Be positive, not negative. Ultimately, our campaign is about encouraging ordinary people to run for office. We believe that politics is an honorable calling and that serving in the Legislature is a valuable public service. So we do not want to send a message that politics is dirty or that legislators are corrupt.

4. In your own words, state the problem and then the solution. The problem is lack of competition. Too many legislative races are not races at all because there is only one candidate. A big part of the solution is public financing, which will encourage ordinary people to either run themselves or make small-dollar contributions to candidates they believe in.

5. Remind the reader why campaigns are so expensive: Communication costs. Candidates need money for direct mail, telephones and Internet service, and airtime. The rocketing price of airtime is driving up campaign spending. The broadcast media have a legal duty to serve the public interest but at election time they auction off free speech to the highest bidder. Until we can pass federal legislation to change that, public financing is the best solution.

 

List of newspapers in Massachusetts

Contact Information for some major newspapers:

Boston Globe

Letters to the Editor
The Boston Globe
P.O. Box 2378
Boston, MA 02107-2378

E-mail letter@globe.com

web-based form

Boston Phoenix

Boston Phoenix
126 Brookline Avenue
Boston, MA 02215

E-mail letters@phx.com

Guidelines

FAX (617) 859-8201

Boston Herald

web-based form

Daily Hampshire Gazette

Letters
Daily Hampshire Gazette
115 Conz Street
Northampton, MA 01060

E-mail opinion@gazettenet.com

Guidelines

Cape Cod Times

Letters Editor
Cape Cod Times
319 Main Street
Hyannis MA 02601

web-based form

FAX (508) 771-3292

Guidelines

Berkshire Eagle

web-based form

Lowell Sun

web-based form

The Patriot Ledger

E-mail editpage@ledger.com

FAX (617) 786-7393

The Republican

Letters to the Editor
Box 2350
Springfield, MA 01102

E-mail letters@repub.com

FAX (413) 788-1301

Guidelines

Valley Advocate

116 Pleasant Street, 3rd Floor
Easthampton, MA 01027

FAX (413) 529-2844

TAB / Community Newspapers

web-based form