Letter to the editor...
So, today, I wrote my first letter in response to an op/ed piece in the Daily Tarheel (DTH).
It was in response to this piece:
It’s sad, but racial profiling is necessary for our safety
It read as such:
There is something called responsible journalism. Responsible journalism does not infringe upon free speech, but refuses to give forum to vitriolic hate speech such as the editorial yesterday by Jillian Bandes. As a former newspaper editor, I am appalled at the DTH's decision to print such an ill-informed jingoistic diatribe. Bandes' lack of professionalism, journalistic integrity and sense of discretion warrant nothing less than her immediate removal from the editorial staff. That is, after she publicly apologizes to the Arab/Muslim community at UNC, and the rest of the world that was unwilling witness to her ill-informed views and hate-speech. Fin.
Now, there are a few key things you should keep in mind when writing to editors.
* First, you have to draw them in. I attempted to invoke comraderie by claiming to have been an editor... actually, I was only the layout editor... in high school... but I can format a mean picture, trust!
* Second, use big words. (ie, jingoistic, diatribe, vitriolic, etc) Journalists love words, and they like looking like they attract intelligent readership. If they print the response, it makes their paper look cool and inaccessible... an exciting prospect for any paper!
* Third, draw on moral issues, such as journalistic integrity and responsibility. Journalists take their job very seriously.
* Fourth, make the issue bigger than yourself... ie, she needs to apologize to an entire community. Everyone loves a selfless response!
*And most importantly, keep it civil, appropriate, timely, and for GODSAKES grammatically sound. Otherwise they will print your response simple to allow people to laugh at you and expose your lack of english proficiency.
* Lastly, pray that the piece was not satirical, a la, A Modest Proposal ... otherwise you will just look like a baffoon....
Class dismissed.
It was in response to this piece:
It’s sad, but racial profiling is necessary for our safety
It read as such:
There is something called responsible journalism. Responsible journalism does not infringe upon free speech, but refuses to give forum to vitriolic hate speech such as the editorial yesterday by Jillian Bandes. As a former newspaper editor, I am appalled at the DTH's decision to print such an ill-informed jingoistic diatribe. Bandes' lack of professionalism, journalistic integrity and sense of discretion warrant nothing less than her immediate removal from the editorial staff. That is, after she publicly apologizes to the Arab/Muslim community at UNC, and the rest of the world that was unwilling witness to her ill-informed views and hate-speech. Fin.
Now, there are a few key things you should keep in mind when writing to editors.
* First, you have to draw them in. I attempted to invoke comraderie by claiming to have been an editor... actually, I was only the layout editor... in high school... but I can format a mean picture, trust!
* Second, use big words. (ie, jingoistic, diatribe, vitriolic, etc) Journalists love words, and they like looking like they attract intelligent readership. If they print the response, it makes their paper look cool and inaccessible... an exciting prospect for any paper!
* Third, draw on moral issues, such as journalistic integrity and responsibility. Journalists take their job very seriously.
* Fourth, make the issue bigger than yourself... ie, she needs to apologize to an entire community. Everyone loves a selfless response!
*And most importantly, keep it civil, appropriate, timely, and for GODSAKES grammatically sound. Otherwise they will print your response simple to allow people to laugh at you and expose your lack of english proficiency.
* Lastly, pray that the piece was not satirical, a la, A Modest Proposal ... otherwise you will just look like a baffoon....
Class dismissed.
posted by ARP | 10:32 PM
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