How to Get Your Newspaper to Run an Editorial

An editorial is one of the most powerful tools you can use to put pressure on your members of Congress to support a specific piece of legislation. Anyone can call an editorial writer and ask him/her to write an editorial.

Step 1:

Select your target. Find the largest and most influential newspaper in your area. Look on the editorial page for the name of the editorial page editor.  Additionally, you can call the newspaper and ask for the name of the editorial writer who deals with the issue you are interested in (for example, "Which editorial writer writes about the farm bill?").

Step 2:

Get support. Call a Bread for the World (BFW) media associate or your regional organizer for support, advice and information.

Step 3:

Get the information. Identify written materials you can use to prepare yourself on the issues and which you can send to the editorial writer. For instance, you can use a BFW background paper on the issue you are addressing or a one-pager with hunger facts for your state.

Step 4:

Plan and practice your pitch. (See "How to make a pitch call to journalists.")

Step 5:

Make the call. Give your pitch and ask for a meeting to discuss it further. The editorial writer will most likely either agree to meet with you or ask you to send written information.

Step 6:

If the editorial writer asks for more information: After you send the information, follow-up a few days later, and if appropriate, ask again for a meeting. Sometimes, the newspaper will run an editorial without meeting with you. If they decline to meet with you, ask if they intend to run an editorial.

Step 7:

If the editorial writer agrees to a meeting, find someone to take with you. It could be another BFW volunteer, a BFW staffer, someone who has first-hand experience with the issue (for example, a low-income person or an emergency food provider), a pastor or a prominent member of the community. Talk over the meeting with them before you go in to the newspaper, and make sure you've agreed to stick to the main points.

During the meeting, don't feel like you have to know all the answers. You are a concerned community member, but no one expects you to be the expert. If you don't know the answer to a question, refer the editorial writer to BFW staff.

Step 8:

Follow up. As soon as the editorial appears, call the editorial writer or send a note or e-mail letting them know that you appreciated their editorial. Continue to be in touch with them over the year to update them on our issues and pitch more editorials. Some newspapers will do two or even three editorials a year on our legislation!

If an editorial does not appear within two weeks of your meeting or your last contact, call again and ask if they think they will run an editorial soon. If you get a negative or noncommittal answer, don't be discouraged. Call the editorial writer from time to time, as the legislative campaign unfolds. Sometimes it takes months of pitching to get an editorial writer to hit the ball.

Step 9:

Send us the clip. If you are successful, please send an original newsprint copy, along the newspaper's masthead, to Bread for the World.