Thursday 27 September 2018

LETTER TO THE EDITOR By Samson Mwita


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Another type of formal letters is letters to the editor of news papers or magazines. They address issues or respond to articles previously written. They are often written with the following purposes.
1.      To complain about something
2.      To support an idea or a project.
3.      To give opinions about something.
4.      To give advice on something.
If you want your letter to be published you should be timely and respond within two or three days of the event or article. Short, concise letters are likely to be published than long ones that go round and round. Most people read shorter letters first and later perhaps read the longer ones.
Some guidelines.
a.       State the argument you are responding to, as briefly as possible in the introduction of your letter.
b.      Stick to a single subject. Deal with one subject per letter.
c.       Do not be abusive. Editors tend to discard letters containing personal attack.
d.      Your letter should be logically organized.
                                i.            Introduction; explain the argument you are opposing or supporting.
                              ii.            Statement of your position.
                            iii.            Provide evidence.
                            iv.            Close with a short restatement of your position or a pity comment.
e.       Use facts, figures, and expert testimony whenever possible.
f.        Read and do thorough research before you accuse anybody of anything.
g.      Proofread your letter carefully for errors in spellings, punctuation, and grammar. Newspapers will always edit to correct these mistakes but your letter is likely to be published if it is ‘clean’ to begin with.
h.      Don’t mail it the same day it is written. Write, edit and proofread it and then put it aside until the next day. Re-reading your letter in a fresh light often helps you to spot errors in reasoning, stilted language and the like.
i.        Try to view your letter from the reader’s perspective. Will the argument make sense to someone without a special background on this issue? Did you use technical terms that are not familiar to the average reader?
j.        Always include your name, title, address, phone number and signature. This information may not be published but they may use it to verify that you wrote the letter.
THE FORMAT OF EDITORIAL LETTER
COMPONENTS OF EDITORIAL LETTER
i.                    The name and address of the receiver
ii.                  Salutation
iii.                Subject/short heading
iv.                The main body
v.                  The ending


THE EDITOR’S
ADDRESS


SALUTATION

HEADING


THE INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH/VOTE OF THANKS





THE MAIN BODY OR THEME OF THE LETTER




OFFICIAL CLOSING

THE SIGNATURE LINE/DATE LINE
(Name, address, contacts, title,)

EXAMPLE OF EDITORIAL LETTER.

Editor,
Mwananchi Newspaper,
P.O.Box 2020
Tabata-Dar-es-Salaam

Dear editor,
              RE: WATER PROBLEM AT BUSEGWE VILLAGE.
I would like to take this opportunity to appreciate the good work your Newspaper has been doing in keeping the public informed and educated on different socio-political and economic matters.
        Although I am a regular reader of Mwananchi newspaper, it is my first time to appear in this column to express my deep concerns on the problem of water in our village Busegwe. Busegwe village is located just a few kilometres from Lake Victoria south of Musoma municipal. Nevertheless, since independence the problem of water has never been solved.
         In my opinion, if really the leaders were serious enough about the welfare of their citizens, there is no way they would fail to supply piped water to the village which is located just few kilometres from the largest lake in Africa.
      I would like to advice our MP his excellence hon. N.E. Mkono to stand up for this and see to it that water is supplied to our Village or else we are not going to re-elect him in the forth coming general election.
      Yours faithfully,
Jamila Michael,
A peasant,
P.O.BOX 1515,
BUSEGWE-MUSOMA.
Contacts 0772000333
20th Aug 2018
Assignment
Imagine that all last year form fours from Heritage Sec School have been selected to join form five in different government high schools. Write a letter to the editor of “Daily News” P. O. Box 2021 Dar-es-Salaam, congratulating them for their achievement. Use your name and school address.

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