need help with letters to the editor in swing states

[ilyashl]

I'd like to get some pro-Kerry letters to the editor into swing state newspapers. (I've had some success with national ones, including 15 in NYTimes: http://ilya.cc/lett ).
Problem is, I'm not in a swing state and they only publish locals.

Would anyone living in a swing state be interested in taking letters that I write, signing them and sending them to local newspapers? Of course, only letters you agree with -- and you can edit them as you see fit.

If you can help me with this, please email me at: mycar at mit dot edu.

[smada]

1. Probably not a good idea

Newspaper editors are on to this kind of thing. As most newspapers publish their content online, letters to the editor can be checked on Google and if it's found to be a duplicate, they won't print it.

My local paper got called on that a couple of years ago when they printed a Peta-originated letter. The same letter was published in several newspapers under different names. They wrote an apology about it.

Besides that, not to be snide, but why would someone want to sign their name to a letter you wrote instead of writing it themselves?

[volosong]

3. FORGET "GOOGLE," MANY SMALL NEWSPAPERS DON'T USE THAT

You won't get into the NYT or WP, but I'm having good success with mass mailings to small newspapers.

Don't be discouraged. Ignore Google.

[ilyashl]

4. it won't be a duplicate

>if it's found to be a duplicate, they won't print it.

It won't be a duplicate. Every letter I write is unique, tied to a specific article in a specific newspaper. I'm NOT talking about flooding newspapers with form letters.

>why would someone want to sign their name to a letter you wrote instead of writing it themselves?

They may not have time to write letters (or to read newspapers, which is a pre-requisite to writing letters). They may not know how to write letters that get published. But if they agree with every point of the letter, what's wrong with signing their name to it? People do all kinds of things to promote their views, and this is just one of many.

President Bush has speechwriters. Even Clinton had them. So signing your name to something you didn't write (but agree with) isn't inherently unacceptable. No?

[volosong]

2. WISH I COULD HELP, BUT I LIVE IN MASSACHUSETTS

Share the same experiences as you do.