How to Write Letters to the Editor

One very important way to make your voice heard is to write a letter to the editor supporting Smoke-Free Tennessee or replying to a negative comment/article in your local newspaper(s). Below is information on sending a letter to your local media and talking points you can use in your letter.

Remember that the shorter your letter is, the more likely it is to be published. Check local newspapers’ websites to see if they have word limits - many are between 200-250 words. Remember - don’t personally attack smokers. It’s about the smoke - about the public health of all Tennesseans.

Where to send your letters:

List of all Tennessee Newspapers
You can compose and send a letter to the outlets you choose.

AP list of Tennessee Bureaus

Use can use the following talking points for letters to the editor, or use information from our fact sheets.

• Everyone has the right to breathe clean air in public places and at work.
  
• According to a poll conducted in October 2006 by the American Cancer Society, more than 73 percent of Tennessee voters indicated they support a smoke-free law that would make all workplaces, including restaurants and bars, smoke-free.
  
• Secondhand smoke is a cause of serious health problems like cancer, heart disease, and lung disease.
  
• Secondhand smoke is the third most preventable cause of death in the United States, responsible for causing 35,000 to 45,000 deaths each year from heart disease and 3,000 more deaths from lung cancer.  In Tennessee alone, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids estimates that secondhand smoke causes between 980 and 1,740 deaths.
• Smoke-free policies allow kids, the elderly and people with health problems to enjoy public places.