Of all the ways to speak out, a letter to the editor of a newspaper, magazine, or professional journal may carry the most “bang for the buck.” It requires minimal time and effort, yet may reach a surprisingly large number of readers. (In the case of a journal, it may reach fewer, but more influential readers.) We therefore recommend it to those wishing to speak out, but unable to invest much time.
It’s wonderful, of course, if you’re able to write an article, do a radio interview, or pursue some other media angle to speak out on population. But we can’t complain if you simply write a letter. No doubt this will be the choice of some participants who teach classes covering population issues but who wish to boost GPSO’s impact by doing something they wouldn’t be doing already or by speaking out more publicly than they usually do.
Such a letter need not offer any startling insights. It’s enough simply to bring the population issue to readers’ attention. Succinct is better because an editor is more likely to publish it and more people will read it. Be sure to sign off with your name, title, etc.
Consider that bigger papers reach more readers, but smaller papers are more likely to print your letter. (Many smaller papers print nearly all the letters they receive.) It’s a trade off. You might consider sending the same letter to a paper in each category.
Here are some good examples:
Sample 4 (Scroll down to the fourth letter.)
You might try this Web based service which enables you to submit a letter to multiple newspapers simultaneously. I haven’t used it and can’t vouch for it. But it looks interesting.
The blog comment alternative
As easy as a letter to the editor is leaving a comment under an article on one of the larger blogs. (Unfortunately, a comment on an obscure blog will reach few readers.) Science, environmental, and political blogs are ranked in these lists:
