LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Letters to the editor of a newspaper or magazine forms an important part of the paper. It voices the
opinion of the people and provides them a platform to express their agreement, disagreement or
reaction to the news and views contained in the newspaper. These letters raise issues of social,
political and economic interest and generally centre round public reaction. In short, ‘Letters to Editor’
provide a forum to the readers to express their strong feelings and reactions to local, national and
international issues.
As it is a formal letter, the format has to be followed strictly. Only formal language can be used i.e.
abbreviations and slang language should be avoided.

Points to Remember:
Draw the attention of the concerned authorities/general Public towards the problem NOT of
the Editor
Request concerned authorities to take the action NOT to the editor
Raise the issue by citing some latest news items / Survey report etc.
Analyze the issue, try to find causes.
Offer suggestions to solve the problem.
Be courteous, even if critical

Beginning lines:

• Kindly allow me to use some space in your esteemed daily to express my views and concern
on ___
• Kindly allow me to use some space in your esteemed daily to draw the attention of the
concerned authorities to the nuisance of______
• May I have the privilege of using a few lines of your esteemed newspaper regarding_______
• Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw the attention of the
concerned authorities towards______
Ending Lines:

• Hope some effective measures will soon be adopted to improve the existing situation
• Hope the concerned authorities will take notice and do something in this direction.
• I hope the concerned authorities and the general public will see the gravity of the matter and
some measures will be adopted to _____
Format:

• The sender’s address DOES NOT begin with name. Usually 2 lines. House number/office,
street, town, country, PIN code.
A line-break

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 • Date – Best format: 12 March, 2015
A line-break

• The receiver’s address WITH designations like, “The Editor…”

A line-break

• Subject in the noun form. Do not prefer a question for subject. Correct – Poverty in cities.
Incorrect – Are there the poor in Cities?
A line-break

• Salutation: Sir or Madam are the best but Dear Sir or Respected Sir and Dear madam or
Respected madam are not appropriate.
General Guidelines

• Do not forget FCC – Facts, Causes, Consequences.

• Facts include all supporting information to convince your reader that there is really a crisis,
say, child labour.
• Causes include all related causes of the issue, say, child labour. The reader is further
convinced.
• Consequences include the results of the issue. This section leaves a shock or pain or wound in
the reader’s mind.
• You can have all the FCC in a single paragraph or have them ripped into three short
paragraphs.
• Do not mix FCC. First enumerate facts and figures, then causes and finally the consequences.
Paragraph 1.1 – Introduction
Begin with an appealing style. “Through the columns of your esteemed daily” is an old cliché but you
can copy that. Here are a few different styles:

• I am an avid reader of your newspaper for the last seven years. Having drawn inspiration from
the recent headlines, I would like to write this letter for all the readers.
• Through the columns of your daily, I would like to call the public’s attention to a new trend of
mess that is slowly making its devastating presence in the city…
• I would like to draw the immediate attention of the concerned authorities/the public..
• May I draw the public’s attention to a matter of utmost concern that deserves immediate
redress…
• Speaking flatly, the authorities cannot pretend to be unaware of the recent murders that stirred
peace in South London…
• This is an open answer to Miss Rachana Chaudhary’s remarks on gender discrepancies in
India…
• Who said the nation can no longer trust politicians like Narender Modi and Arvind Kejriwal?
Paragraph 1.2 – Facts

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Facts include information with which you can attract the reader/the editor. This information includes
the following:
Definitions / Survey reports / Recent studies / Recent news

Paragraph 2 – Causes & Consequences

Causes
How is this happening
Why is this happening
Who are responsible
Greed, Irresponsibility, Dereliction of duty, Poor enforcement of laws Corruption, etc
Consequences
Over population, poverty, unemployment, crime, etc.
Health problems, diseases, immature death, an unhealthy society, etc.

Paragraph 3.1 – Solutions/Suggestions

How can the government get involved
Imposing fines/taxes
Executing law
Dismissing corrupt officials
Spreading awareness over media such as radio, television, newspaper, etc.
How can the public get involved
Parents can be the best teachers
NGOs and People can volunteer
How can schools and colleges get involved
Syllabus can include corrective measures
Students can demonstrate street programs
Paragraph 3.2 – Closing
Guidelines
Closing statements.
Closing with Yours Sincerely/truly, etc.
Name of the writer
Closing Lines

• I hope this letter would help open the eyes of the authorities and they would swing into action
at the earliest.
• It is high time that the government took immediate measures to bring such incidents under
control.
• Authorities can no longer pretend to be asleep – they have to implement necessary regulations
in this matter.
Note – No commas/full-stops at the end of addresses, date, salutation, closing, etc. Avoid the use of
“you and we.”

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 SAMPLE LETTER TO THE EDITOR-1
Q. You happened to notice a lot of garbage strewn in your locality. The inefficiency of the authorities
in clearing the garbage on time has resulted in an unbearable stink. The people feel that this
indifference is sure to spread diseases. Write a letter in about 120-150 words to the Editor of a
newspaper on this problem and what you think can be done to curb this menace. You are Ishu/Vivan,
F-56, Vikas Puri, New Delhi.

F-56, Vikas Puri,

New Delhi

1 April, 2020

The Editor
The Times of India
New Delhi

Subject: Inefficiency of authorities in clearing garbage.

Sir,

Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper l wish to bring to the notice of the Municipal
Corporation the inefficiency of the concerned authorities in clearing the garbage on time in our
locality.
The accumulated garbage gives out an unbearable stink making it difficult for the residents to walk in
the colony. The garbage that is strewn around breeds a lot of mosquitoes and flies. The people of our
locality feel that this indifference on the part of the authorities is sure to spread diseases. Our repeated
complaints have fallen on deaf ears. It is our request to the MCD to allow the Residents Association to
take charge of allocating responsible agencies with the job of clearing the garbage on time. We will
ensure that the garbage is dumped at the right place. This will also enable us to keep our locality clean
and help instill a sense of Civic awareness among the residents.
I sincerely hope that you will publish my letter in your esteemed newspaper so that our woes are
brought to the notice of the Municipal Corporation.

Yours sincerely

Ishu

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 SAMPLE LETTER TO THE EDITOR-2

Q. You are Samita / Sunit, resident of C-9, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. You find, participation of children in
various reality shows on T.V. a form of child exploitation. Write a letter to the Editor of a national daily
showing your concern about various forms of child exploitation prevalent in the educated and urban society,
giving some suggestions to curtail it.

C-9, Vasant Kunj

Delhi

10 August, 2011

The Editor
The Times of India
New Delhi

Subject: Exploitation of children in Urban Society

Sir

I want to draw the attention of the general public and the concerned authorities towards the above cited problem
through this letter of mine in your newspaper.

In Urban societies parents are increasingly using their children as means of achieving their own unfulfilled
wishes, resulting in physical and mental exploitation of the children. Forcing children to participate in reality
shows or cajoling them to play roles in TV serials by shunning games are some examples of child exploitation.
Even parents among audience of such programmes openly compare their wards with child actors on TV. In
school arena parents put pressure on their wards, to excel in the field of academics, sports and other activities
alike without considering their field of interest and abilities.

The implication of exploitation of children in the guise of making their future bright is evident now. The
diseases like hypertension, obesity, diabetes which were known to be adult diseases a decade back are common
among children. Psychotic problems among children are also rising with cases of drug abuse, depression or even
suicide is reported frequently which is indeed a cause of grave concern.

So, the need of the hour is that authorities in the child’s rights department and educational institutes should
come out with bolder steps to curb this alarming problem. There should be a ban on all types of advertisements
and programmes on TV with child actors below 14 years of age. There should be regular counselling for parents
in schools to make them understand the consequences of stressing the children.

I hope the concerned authorities and the general public will realise the gravity of the matter and some measures
will be adopted to ensure a better life for children devoid of an exploitation of any kind.

Yours faithfully

Smita