Elements of Political Communication: Traditional media
guidelines – Op-eds and letters to the editor  From Wikibooks,
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close-up photograph of a fountain pen and a slightly out-of-
focus piece of paper, possibly a newspaper. However you choose
to write your letter, use these tips to ensure its publication.
A letter to the editor is a short (~200 words) piece that
addresses a particular article or subject from a recent edition
of the publication. An op-ed, by the strictest definition, is a
medium-length piece (~500 words) solicited by the publication to
oppose the position of the editorial board. This is where the
term “op-ed” comes from: the “opposite of the editorial”, not
“opinion-editorial”. That said, the lines in today’s media are
blurry. A letter to the editor can be much longer in some
instances and an op-ed need not be solicited or be the opposite
opinion of the editorial board. Your situation will determine
how you structure your piece. The edi