Where to Send Letters

MAIL:
Your Views
The Oklahoman
P.O. Box 25125
Oklahoma City, OK 73125

E-MAIL:
Yourviews@oklahoman.com
Guidelines for Your Views
What we require
1. Letters of 250 words or less.
2. A full name, complete postal address (including zip code) and daytime telephone number must accompany your letter. (This is needed for verification. This information will not be published).
3. "Name withheld" letters are not accepted. Nor are letters signed only with initials or a first initial and last name.
4. E-mailed letters cannot be sent as attachments.
5. Authors are limited to one letter every 28-42 days, depending on volume.
6. When referring to a news story or previous letter published in Your Views, cite the headline or letter writer's name and the date of publication.

What we don't publish
1. Poetry or rhyme in any form.
2. Most consumer complaints.
3. Form letters or generic Web site letters.
4. Most "thank you" letters.
5. "Open" letters to government officials.
6. Letters written for a class assignment or as part of an organized letter-writing campaign.
7. Most sports-related letters. (Send these to The Oklahoman's sports editor.)
8. Letters that have been published elsewhere or letters submitted to other publications.
9. Letters written in an overly informal "chat room" style.

Why we edit letters
Editing is done for the benefit of our readers. We make every attempt to preserve the writer's essential meaning. Editing for length allows us to accept a greater number of letters. Letters most likely to be edited are those that are twice as long as needed to make a point and those that try to make too many points.

What we look for
1. Brevity and focus. Cover your topic in the fewest possible words. Get to your main point quickly. Stay focused on your key points. Avoid straying into unrelated topics or parenthetical expressions.
2. Readability. Readers are attracted to short sentences. Avoid using too many numbers and prepositional phrases. Avoid cliches. Follow common rules of punctuation, grammar and spelling.
3. Timeliness. Send your letter while the topic is timely, but not so quickly that you don't review what you have written before sending the letter.
4. Fairness. Make your points on the merits rather than emotion. Avoid disparaging a group of people based solely on the actions of one member of that group.