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If the newspaper runs a story promoting a local furrier or touting the circus, don’t just fume—tell them how you feel with a letter to the editor. You’ll reach thousands of readers if your letter gets printed—and you don’t have to be Shakespeare!
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For up-to-the-minute action alerts, complete with contact info, call PETA’s U.S. Action Hotline at 757-622-PETA, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week! Or check out PETA’s “Letter of the Moment” on our Web site. |
Consumer Clout
• Letters to businesses have prompted dozens of companies—including Spiegel, Eddie Bauer, and Ladies’ Home Journal—to stop selling or giving away fur and countless others to stop testing their products on animals.
• Tell stores that sell live animals that you won’t shop there until they stop, and explain why. Voice your objection to restaurants and stores that have live lobster tanks.
• Write to manufacturers of cosmetics and household products that still experiment on animals and let them know you will purchase other brands until they declare a permanent ban on animal testing. (Contact PETA for a free list of company addresses.)
• If a business offers a fur as a prize, explain why you object to furs and ask the sponsor to offer a prize that does not represent animal cruelty, such as a trip or jewelry.
10 Steps to Writing an Effective Letter
According to former Congressperson Billy Evan (D-Ga.), “Legislators estimate that 10 letters from constituents represent the concerns of 10,000 citizens.” And a letter to the editor has the potential to reach anywhere from hundreds to thousands.
Be concise. Editors are less likely to print long letters. One short paragraph may be enough. Always try to stay under one typed page.
Be polite.
Be precise. If you’re responding to an article in the paper, say when it appeared and its title. For a bill, mention the bill’s name and number, if you know it, and whether you support or oppose it. State what you want officials to do: e.g., vote a certain way, cosponsor a bill, introduce legislation, or just let you know their position on an issue. Make sure you ask for a response.
Don’t be afraid to make the letter personal. Explain how your experience, observations, or faith shape the concern you have. (Legislators want feedback from voters as individuals, not as members of organizations.) And don’t forget to include your name, address, and a contact phone number.
Be ready! Watch the paper. Ads for rodeos, circuses, and fur stores; articles about animal experiments; features on science fairs or other school activities involving animals; cooking columns; and features about companion animal care are good opportunities to write in with a message of compassion.
Write about the good as well as the bad. Thank the paper for coverage of an anti-fur protest or for a pro-animal feature.
Be topical. Let the calendar inspire you. In the fall, as students go back to school, write about dissection. At year’s end, when people are giving to charity, write about charities that do and that don’t fund animal tests.
After Dr. Ned Buyukmihci wrote to Home Depot about rats and mice suffering in glue traps, the company informed him consumer demand obligated them to stock the cruel devices. Ned wrote again, pointing out that customer demand is no justification for cruelty. Thanks to his persistence, Home Depot agreed to stop carrying glue traps and thanked him for providing the info that led to their decision!
Increase your credibility by mentioning anything that makes you especially qualified to write on a topic: For instance, “As a nutritionist, I know a vegan diet is healthy,” or, “as a mother,” or, “as a former fur-wearer,” or, “as a cancer survivor,” etc.
Name a specific action readers can take, such as avoiding eggs, choosing a non-animal circus, or boycotting products tested on animals.
Don’t assume your audience knows the issues. Rather than writing, “Don’t support the cruel dairy industry,” explain that mother cows are treated as milk machines, chained by their necks in concrete stalls for months at a time, and kept constantly pregnant to keep milk production high.
and finally ... Multiply your efforts by throwing a letter-writing party. Have plenty of pens, paper, envelopes, stamps, and vegan snacks on hand.
Contest Winner!
Congratulations to Shaynie Aero, winner of our letter-to-the-editor contest! This letter-writer extraordinaire’s thoughts on leghold traps, vegetarianism, and hunting appear regularly in her Arizona papers and have been featured in several national magazines. Shaynie wins a gourmet vegan dinner for two! Send us your printed letters and win!
