Writing a letter-to-the-editor
See below for the addresses of local and national media.

the following is taken from the publication Making Your Mark on the Media: A new guide to pro-Israel media activism, written by AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and used with their kind permission.

There is only one way to make sure your local paper prints your views exactly — and that is to write them yourself! The Editorial Page is one of the most popular sections of the daily newspapers. You should write a letter whenever you have an important message to get across, see a slanted news story or headline or need to respond to an anti-Israel editorial, letter or column.

WHY A LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR?

It easy to write: A letter-to-the-editor should be not more than 250 words.

It has a good chance of getting printed: The "Letters" section is the reader's forum.

Letters have power in numbers: Even if your letter is not published, a flood of letters from the community cannot be ignored by any editor.

WHEN IS A LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR APPROPRIATE?

Supporting key legislation: Show your Members of Congress that you support them when they support Israel, and encourage those who are uncommitted to take action.

Correcting slanted or inaccurate news coverage: When your local newspaper does not report news from the Middle East fairly or accurately, set the record straight with a letter.

Responding to hostile editorials or letters: Do not let critics of Israel go unanswered. Write a letter-to-the-editor with your views on the Middle East.

Praising an editorial or news item: Highlighting a good article or editorial multiplies the positive impact of the original message.

Commemorating significant anniversaries: Write a letter using key events as launching points for discussion of important principles. Provide an interesting piece of information you can link to a recent news story or editorial.

HOW DO I GET MY LETTER PUBLISHED?

Look for instructions for faxing, mailing or e-mailing letters-to-the-editor on the editorial page of your local paper. Mark your envelope or letter: ATTENTION: Letters- to-the-EdItor.

Be sure to include your name as you would like it printed, as well as your address and home and daytime phone numbers. Your phone number is important, because editors sometimes wish to check facts or the identity of the author.

Call the editorial page editor 3 days after you have mailed or 1 day after you have - faxed your letter to confirm that they received it. Ask if they plan to publish your letter. If they do not plan to run your letter, listen to their reasons why, and try to address their concerns with your next letter.

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING AN EFFECTIVE LETTER-TO-THE-EDITOR

Be timely: Your letter should be mailed immediately when an important issue arises, or after the publication of a problematic news story or editorial. It may take up to 30 days for a newspaper to publish a letter.

Local, local, local: Find a local "hook" for your letter that brings the issue home to the reader. Write about a recent trip to Israel by members of the community, a vote by your Member of Congress, how foreign aid to Israel is spent in your state or a local story that is related to events in the Middle East. Use local geographic points to illustrate Israel s security predicament.

Use facts: The facts are your best weapon in the war of the printed word. Including a fact, statistic or quote strengthens the credibility of your argument and educates your readers.

Remain focused: Confine your letters-to-the-editor to a single issue.

Be concise: Delete unnecessary phrases or words. A short letter has a better chance of being Better you should edit it than an editor who might dilute or distort your main point. The letter should be no more than 250 words.

Reason with the reader: Keep your message factual and discussion logical. Expressing hostility or bitterness will undermine your credibility.

Set your own agenda: Your letter is your forum. Do not waste precious words repeating the charges the story to which you are replying or the arguments of the other side.

Beware of eye appeal: Keep your paragraphs short. Narrow newspaper columns make long paragraphs seem longer and uninviting.

Use interesting and engaging language: Spark the reader s interest with an intriguing opening sentence. Close it with a sentence that leaves the reader remembering your point.

TIPS ON GETTING AN OP-ED PUBLISHED

Send in your op-ed, typed, double-spaced, to the op-ed page editor, with a short cover letter that states the topic of your op-ed.

The op-ed should be no more than 750 words and should not contain any spelling or grammatical errors.

Do not rant and rave in your op-ed. Highly emotional diatribes will get tossed in the trash. Be factual. Back up assertions with fact.

Do not write in the first person, unless it is a personal column or story about your own experience.

Give it a local angle. It is more likely to be printed if it has local relevance or is of particular interest to a segment of the local population.

Sign whatever you write, and include your address and a daytime phone number in case the editor needs to contact you.

Follow up with a phone call to the editor of the op-ed page. Be polite; do not demand that your article be printed.

Several papers, including most of the top papers, do not accept unsolicited opeds. In that case, you should first call the editor to pitch your idea. If the editor accepts your idea, work with the editor during the editing process to ensure that your words are not edited inappropriately.

Bradenton Herald
E-mail: dklement@knightridder.geis.com
Website: www.bradenton.com
Phone: (941) 745-7080
Fax: (941) 745-7097
Address: 102 Manatee Ave., W Bradenton, FL 34205-8894

Citrus County Chronicle
E-mail: citrus@citrus.infi.net
Website: www.chronicle.online.com/homepage/index.html
Phone: (352) 563-6363
Fax: (352) 563-5665
Address: 1624 N. Meadowcrest Blvd. Crystal River, FL 34429

Hernando Today
E-mail: rnolte@hernandotoday.com
Website: www.hernandotoday.com
Phone: (352) 544-5200
Fax: (352) 799-3688
Address: 15299 Cortez Boulevard Brooksville, FL 34613

Highlands Today
E-mail: highlandstoday@tampatrib.com
Website: www.highlandstoday.com
Phone: (863) 382-1163
Fax: (863) 382-1076
Address: 231 US 27, North Seabring, FL 33870-

Lakeland Ledger
E-mail: dschultz@nytimes.com
Website: www.theledger.com/
Phone: (941) 802-7000
Address: P.O. Box 408 Lakeland, FL 33802-

Sarasota Herald Tribune
E-mail: newscoast@home.com
Website: www.newscoast.com
Phone: (941) 957-5171
Address: 801 S. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34236-7899

St. Petersburg Times
E-mail: letters@sptimes.com
Website: www.sptimes.com
Phone: (727) 893-8111
Fax: (727) 893-8675
Address: 490 First Ave South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Tampa Tribune
E-mail: tribletters@tampatrib.com
Website: www.tampatrib.com
Phone: (813) 259-7600
Fax: (813) 259-7676
Address: 202 South Parker Street Tampa, FL 33606

WFLA (NBC-8)
E-mail: news@wfla.com
Website: www.wfla.com
Phone: (813) 221-5788
Fax: (813) 222-2770
Address: 200 South Parker Street Tampa, FL 33606

WFTS (ABC-28)
E-mail: ggraves@wfts.com
Website: www.wfts.com
Phone: (813) 354-2828
Fax: (813) 878-2828
Address: 4045 North Himes Avenue Tampa, FL 33607

WTSP (CBS-10)
E-mail: tampas10@aol.com
Website: www.wtsp.com
Phone: (727) 577-1010
Fax: (727) 578-7637
Address: 11450 Gandy Boulevard St. Petersburg, FL 33702-

WTVT - (Fox-13)
E-mail: 13@wtvt.com
Website: wtvt.com
Phone: (813) 876-1313
Fax: (813) 875-8329
Address: 3213 West Kennedy Boulevard Tampa, FL 33609

WWSB (ABC-40)
E-mail: wwsbnews@aol.com
Website: www.wwsb.com
Phone: (941) 923-8840
Fax: (941) 923-8709
Address: 5725 Lawton Drive Sarasota, FL 34233-

WEDU (PBS-3)
E-mail:outreach@wedu.pbs.org
Web Site:http://www.wedu.org/
Phone (813) 254-9338
Fax: (813) 253-0826
Address: 1300 North Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33607

WUSF (PBS-16)
Email: jhammel@wusf.usf.edu
Web Site: http://www.wusf.org/
Phone: (813) 974-4000
Fax: (813) 974-4806
Address: 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620-6902

WMNF 88.5FM
E-mail: (station manager) rwynne@wmnf.org
E--mail (Mike Eisenstadt) Klezmer313@aol.com
Web Site: http://www.wmnf.org/
Phone: 813-238-8001
Fax :813-238-1802
Address:  1210 East ML King, Tampa, FL 33603

ABC News
E-mail: http://abcnews.go.com/onair/email.html
Web Site: http://abcnews.go.com/index.html
77 W. 66th St.
New York, NY 10023-6298
phone: (212) 456-7777

CBS News
E-mail: http://www.cbs.com/navbar/feedback.html
51 W. 52nd St.
New York, NY 10019
phone: (212) 975-4321

NBC News
E-mail: http://home.nbci.com/LMOID/resource/0,566,home-3963,00.html?st.sn.ft.0.cont
30 Rockefeller Plaza,
New York, NY 10112

CNN
E-Mail: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/
One CNN Center
P.O. Box 105366
Atlanta, GA 30348-5366
(404) 827-1500

C-SPAN (Cable Satellite Public Affairs Network)
E-mail: http://www.c-span.org/contact/
400 N. Capitol St., N.W. Suite 650
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 737-3220

Fox Broadcasting Company
E-mail: http://www.fox.com
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(213) 203-3266

Fox News Channel
E-mail: http://www.foxnews.com/comments.sml
1211 Ave. of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
(212) 301-3000

MSNBC
E-mail: http://www.msnbc.com/news/435157.asp
2200 Fletcher Ave.
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
(201) 585-2622

Public Broadcasting Service
E-mail: http://www.pbs.org/aboutsite/
1320 Braddock Place
Alexandria, VA 22314-1698
(703) 739-5000

National Public Radio
E-mail: http://www.npr.org/inside/contactnpr
635 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20001
Phone : (202) 513-2000

Reuters News Service
E-mail: steven.jukes@reuters.com
Steven Jukes
Global Editor-in Chief
1333 H. Street, N.W., Suite 410
Washington, DC 20005

E-mail: robert.basler@reuters.com
Robert Basle
Global Online Picture Editor
1333 H. Street, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005