Sending Letters to Newspapers

[Bobbieo]

Over the past few days I have been told by friends they liked my recent "letter to the editor" in the local paper about the Supreme Court. I have not sent a letter to the editor in some time now. I am member of a national Interent group that sends form letters to member of Congress when you submit them under your name. Included is a space for additional comments. I wrote two brief comments RE: Harriet Miers, Bush's latest Supreme Court nominee.

My question: Can that group send my comments to the local paper under my name in the form of a letter to the editor without my permission? If they did, I'm not upset but I'll have to be careful as to any future comments I may make.

[Mnemosyne]

1. I don't have an answer for you Bobbieo,

But welcome to DU!:hi:

I have seen sites that do send ltte in your name with permission though.

[Eric J in MN]

2. They shouldn't do that without your permission.

Was there any mention of newspapers at the website?

[Bobbieo]

3. Using My Name For a Letter to the Editor.

I'm trying to get a copy of the letter as I don't subscribe to the paper. This is a very popular woman's organization and I may have signed a disclaimer when I signed on which was a few years ago. From what one person told me it sounds like the comments I made for the Congressmen. So, watch out what you write on these form letters, etc. They could end up in your hometown paper!!!

[DrRang]

4. Form letters are "Astroturf"

Liberals and progressives have slammed conservatives for using these things. A couple of embarrassing incidents came to light involving PR officers writing letters about how great everything was in Iraq and having soldiers sign them and send them to their hometown papers. "Astroturf" letters are easy to expose by googling specific phrases. They're just asking for being embarrassed and discredited. I think it's better to use one's own words.

[AngryOldDem]

5. If you didn't give them permission...

...then they should not have forwarded your comments on to the newspaper.

In any event, the newspaper should also have called you to verify that you did, indeed, write the letter, and confirm that you wanted it published. I used to be the editorial page copy editor of my city's daily, and we would never publish a letter without verifying its author first. That is just good journalistic ethics (hold the jokes, please) as well as just good, common sense.