For this assignment you will write a letter to the editor on a national, state or local political issue. Your letter has to be a response to a major article or editorial* from a reliable and credible source. In other words, do not pick a one-paragraph news note and/or a heavily slanted source. All news media are accessible on-line. You must document the link to your source.
There really isn’t much to worry about regarding the format of this letter. You start with Dear Editor and in your opening you state to what article or news story you are referring (e.g., Dear Editor, I am writing in reference to your story/article/post about …. Published/posted/retrieved on ….).
Remember to make arguments, which you make in response to a fact or argument presented in the original article/editorial. You either agree or disagree with the writer. Explain why. Remember arguments are opinions supported by facts and reason. Also, you are writing to a general audience meaning that the reader may not have the same background or knowledge as you do; they may also not have read the news story to which you are responding. The objective of the letter is to persuade the reader of your viewpoint.
Length and format for assignments apply (1.5-2 FULL pages; double spaced, standard fonts and margins; no foul or derogatory language, e.g., "stupid").
An editorial is an opinion piece denoted as editorial.
