Write to the Press

Seen something about airport expansion in a newspaper that’s made your blood boil? Think you could put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard? Well, we’d like to encourage you… After all, the more column inches the better as far as getting the Stansted Airport Watch messages across.

Given that the letters pages of almost every paper are as well read as the TV guide and often better than the front page, it’s an excellent place to be seen. Many people who won’t have read half the articles will still read the letters, so it’s a great place to stand on a soapbox…

In fact, plenty of Stansted Airport Watch members and others opposed to airport expansion have already been successful in getting their views in print, too. Why? Because:

They responded quickly to the article – usually within a day or two. Their letters were short and to the point: in other words, they responded to the article or items that raised their hackles (shorter letters can always be fitted in more easily, too)
They didn’t try to cover too much ground. Making one or two good points gave them an edge
They included their full name and address with a contact phone number (always useful if the letters editor needs to make contact, even though the phone number won’t be printed)
If emailed rather than posted, the letters were sent in plain text (not html or as attachments which are often rejected by national newspapers’ servers)
Their letters hadn’t appeared elsewhere: newspapers like original material

All sounds so simple, doesn’t it?! Why don’t you try your hand…

We’ve reprinted below the email addresses for the letters pages of some of the regional newspapers to help you.

BISHOP’S STORTFORD INDEPENDENT letters@bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk

BRAINTREE & WITHAM TIMES bwtpost@newsquest.co.uk

CAMBRIDGE EVENING NEWS letters@cambridge-news.co.uk

DUNMOW BROADCAST editor@dunmow-broadcast.co.uk

EAST ANGLIAN DAILY TIMES eadtletters@eadt.co.uk

EASTERN DAILY PRESS edpletters@archant.co.uk

ESSEX CHRONICLE newsdesk@essexlive.news

ESSEX ENQUIRER letters@theenquirer.co.uk

EVERYTHING EPPING FOREST everythingeppingforest@googlemail.com

SAFFRON WALDEN REPORTER editor@saffronwalden-reporter.co.uk