OntheWilderSide

The GP-US Media Committee challenges Greens all over to put the Green Party and our candidates on the media map!

Our goal is to see ONE HUNDRED letters to the editor sent by Greens to newspapers throughout the US by the end of May. If enough letters get sent, a good percentage will get published, and hundreds of thousands — maybe millions — of voters will read about the Green Party and Green candidates. If you’d rather submit an op-ed column or an article to the newspaper of your choice, that’s fine too!

What should you write about? It’s up to you:

• Your favorite Green candidate for President of the United States
• Your favorite Green candidate for the US House, US Senate, state legislature, county commissioner, city council, mayor, school board, or any other office
• The upcoming Green National Convention in Chicago, July 10-13
• The Green Party’s demand for immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq
• The Green Party’s demand for real action on global warming, rather than ineffective corporate-friendly half measures
• The Green Party’s support for single-payer national health care
• Another Green Party position that you consider important
• Anything else you can think of about the Green Party or Green candidates!

Here are some suggestions:

• Keep your letter concise & focused. Five or six sentences is good, but in most larger newspapers, anything longer is in danger of getting edited or immediately rejected. In many local papers, they’ll be happy to print a longer letter. Op-eds & articles can be longer, too. Check the newspaper’s guidelines on submissions.
• Use the phrase “GREEN PARTY” at least once, preferably a few times, so it’s clear that your favorite candidate is a Green Party candidate, or the position you’re espousing is a Green Party position. Mention
  that you’re a Green Party member and try to work in the web site of the national party (gp.org) or your local or state party.
• If you can, use a personal angle. For example, if a family member can’t pay a medical bill or is on the front line in Iraq, it might be worth mentioning in a letter to the editor about the Green Party’s position on health care or the war.
• Respond to an already published article or column. For example, a recent column in The Progressive by Adolph Reed (May 2008 issue, http://www.progressive.org/mag_reed0508) on why he isn’t supporting Barack Obama deserves a Green reply: why doesn’t Mr. Reed mention the Green presidential candidates?

• Read “How to Place an Op-Ed or Letter in the Top 100 US Newspapers” http://theopedproject.org/content/view/8/8/

Start writing letters! If you get published, let us know — and post it on Green Party discussion lists too, so other Greens can read it too.

Filed under: election, elections, grassroots democracy, Green Party Websites, media