Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

As promised, I wanted to write a special edition of the blog for those of you who were unable to attend our in school field trip today.

Sheila Mullowney, Managing Editor of The Newport Daily News and Gary Ruff, Opinion Page Editor gave us the inside scoop on what makes a good letter to the editor. They were also generous enough to give us a run through on what the Daily News has been doing to keep on top of the stories and their efforts to provide balanced reporting that meets the need of their readers. Keep a look out for their special election coverage coming up next week!

Here are some tips from the Editors:

Keep you letter brief; not more then 450 words

Expect your letter to be edited while retaining the same thesis

Be focused: say it, support it, and summarize it

Do not exaggerate; keep it real and keep it straight

Support your claims

Suggestions: make your letter punchy, short, strong and well crafted

A special thank you to Ms. Clark and her journalism class for joining us. Their questions gave us additional insight into the workings of the press, sometimes known as the “fourth branch of government.”

Final letters are due this Thursday and Friday. I will hand deliver the letters to the paper on Friday.