Guide to Letter-Writing

Sometimes the pen — or word processor — really is mightier than the sword — and you don't have to be Shakespeare! Writing letters to newspapers, businesses, and legislators is an easy, effective way to help animals.
Here's how ...  

Letters to the Editor

When you write letters to the editors of local newspapers instead of writing to just one person, you reach thousands! And it's easier than you might think.

• Read local papers and magazines for fuel for letters. Watch for articles, ads, or letters that mention animals.
  
  Some examples:
  • ads for rodeos, circuses, and fur stores
  • articles about medical experiments
  • features about local humane groups or companion animal care
    
• Letters don't have to be rebuttals. Circus in town? Noticing a lot of strays? Or use the calendar for inspiration: At Easter, tell readers why they shouldn't buy bunnies. On Mother's Day, remind your community of the animals whose babies are taken from them on factory farms.
  
• Write on good news, as well as bad. Thank the paper for its coverage of an anti-fur protest or for running profiles of animals available for adoption at shelters.
  
• Be brief! Sometimes one short, pithy paragraph is enough — try to stay under 300 words (about one typed page). Editors are less likely to print long letters.
  
• Type, if possible. Otherwise, print legibly. Be sure to use correct grammar and spelling, and remember to have it proofread.
  
• Make sure you include your name, address, and telephone number in your letter. Some newspapers verify authorship before printing letters.
  
• Look for opportunities to write op-ed pieces for local papers. These are longer articles of about 500 - 800 words that summarize an issue, develop an argument, and propose a solution. Send the article to the Editorial Page editor.

• You can also write (or call) television and radio stations to protest glorification of animal abuse or to compliment them on a program well done.

Some Tips on Style

• Increase your credibility by mentioning anything that makes you especially qualified to write on a topic: For instance, "As a nutritionist, I know a veggie diet is healthy," or, "as a mother," or, "as a former fur-wearer," or, "as a cancer survivor," etc.
  
• Try to tell readers something they're not likely to know — such as how chickens are raised to produce eggs — and encourage them to take action (such as to stop buying eggs).

• Keep personal grudges and name-calling out of letters; they'll hurt your credibility.
  
• Don't give lip service to anti-animal arguments. Speak affirmatively.
  EXAMPLE
  "It"s not true vegetarians are weaklings."
  BETTER
  "Vegetarians are healthier and slimmer and live years longer than flesh-eaters."
• Avoid self-righteous language and exaggeration. Readers may dismiss arguments if they feel preached to or if the author sounds hysterical.
  EXAMPLE
  "Only a heartless sadist could continue to eat animals when any fool knows their lives are snuffed out in screaming agony for the satisfaction of people who can't be bothered to take a moral stand."
  BETTER
  "Most compassionate people would stop eating meat if they saw how miserable the animals are."
• Don't assume your audience knows the issues.
  EXAMPLE
  "Don't support the cruel veal industry."
  BETTER
  "Calves factory-farmed for veal are tethered in small stalls and kept in complete darkness. Their mothers also endure sad fates, starting with the loss of their infants a few days after birth."
• Inclusive language helps your audience identify with you.
  EXAMPLE
  "Eating meat is bad for your health."
  BETTER
  "We know eating meat is bad for our health.
• Use positive suggestions rather than negative commands.
  EXAMPLE
  "Don't go to the circus."
  BETTER
  "Let's take our families to non-animal circuses."
• Personalize your writing with anecdotes and visual images.
  EXAMPLE
  "Leghold traps can trap an animal by the face, leg, or stomach."
  BETTER
  "Have you ever seen a yearling fox with her face caught in a leghold trap? I have, which is how I know traps tear into an animal's face, leg, or stomach."
• Avoid speciesist language. Instead of referring to an animal with an inanimate pronoun ("it"or "which"), use "she" or "he."
• Avoid euphemisms ("negative reinforcement," "culling the herd"); say what you really mean ("painful electric shocks," "slaughtering deer").
• Criticize the cruelty, not the newspaper.
  EXAMPLE
  "There is no excuse for your article promoting the circus."
  BETTER
  "There is no excuse for the abuse that goes on in the circus."

Letters to the Businesses

Use your clout as a consumer to protest companies that exploit animals. Tell cosmetics manufacturers you will purchase other brands until they stop testing on animals, or tell a store you won't shop there until it stops carrying live animals — and explain why. If a business offers a fur as a prize, explain why you object to furs and ask the sponsor to offer a prize that does not reflect animal cruelty, such as a trip or jewelry.

Letters to the Legislators

While everyone's good at complaining about politics to their friends, too few citizens express their opinions to those who can do something about it: legislators. Constituent input really does make a difference.

According to former Congressperson Billy Evan (D-Ga.), "Legislators estimate that 10 letters from constituents represent the concerns of 10,000 citizens. Anybody who will take the time to write is voicing the fears and desires of thousands more." If that's not enough to convince you, ask yourself this: If you don't communicate with the officials representing you, who will? While you're complaining to your friends about gruesome animal experiments, someone who disagrees with you is communicating with your lawmakers. You're probably not going to single handedly convince your legislators to outlaw the fur trade. But many legislators share your objectives and just need to be convinced that there is sufficient public support before putting their necks on the line. The Advocacy Institute explains: "When votes are secured or changed, it's most likely the aroused constituent-activists — the grassroots — who can claim the credit."

Here's how to make your voice count:

• Find out who your federal and state representatives are. To get the names of your U.S. senators and representative, call the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121. Give the operator your zip code, and he or she will give you the names of your legislators to use with the following addresses. Senators The Honorable (name) U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510 Representatives The Honorable (name) U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 To get the names and addresses of state representatives, consult the Blue Pages in your phone book, or call your local courthouse or municipal building. n Identify yourself as a concerned citizen, NOT as a member of an organization; legislators want to get feedback from voters, not lobbyists.
  
• Keep letters brief — no more than one page. If you're writing about a specific bill, mention the bill's name and number, if you know it, and whether you support or oppose it in the first paragraph. Include reasons and supporting data in the next paragraph or two. Conclude by asking for a response.
  
• Focus on a specific topic. Don't ask the legislator just to "support animal rights bills"; very few legislators vote in favor of all animal protection bills because different issues are at stake with each one.
  
• Be polite and concise. Keep everything relevant to the bill or issue in question. Never be threatening or insulting. n Remember: Each letter pertaining to a particular piece of legislation is usually counted as a "yes" or "no." Don't get overwhelmed by the project. Just get those letters written and in the mail! As few as 10 letters on any one topic can sway a legislator's vote. Several hours of letter-writing every month can make a big impact. And don't be discouraged if you receive unfavorable responses; the more we communicate with public officials, the sooner they'll change their positions. Remember... Right now raccoons are chewing off their paws to escape from leghold traps. Right now baby chicks' beaks are being burned off. Right now animal performers are being beaten backstage. Right now millions of dogs, cats, cows, sheep, pigs, chimpanzees, rabbits, mice, and other animals are being tortured in laboratories.