Hearts & Minds: Dear Sir… the power of the letters page

A billionaire was raging to his London comms advisor about an article in The New York Times. It was a 2,000-word in-depth feature, about another business figure. In it, there was one passing mention of him which he took exception to. He said it was inaccurate, defamatory and he was going to sue. He’d instructed his lawyers to commence proceedings against the newspaper.

Woah, was he sure about that? He looked perplexed. Folk rarely challenged him. If you pursue the paper, you will make an enemy of them - and this happens, incidentally, to be the most powerful title in the world. The article wasn’t even about you - it was almost certainly a genuine mistake - but now they will come after you. The legal team will deal with your lawyers, while the editor will instruct their best investigative journalists to target you. That’s how it works. Is money the object? No, it was a correction. But by making it formal, securing that will take an age – as would going through the paper’s complaints process - by which time the offending piece may be forgotten.

Have you thought of a letter to the editor? Now, he looked baffled if not angry. A simple letter marked ‘For Publication’, sent in good humour, pointing out the mistake might achieve a quick result. Okay. The letter was drafted and sent, and appeared the following day, in print and online. It could be posted on social media and was available for anyone to see on Google, it still is. He was delighted, all smiles.

A letter to the editor can be easily forgotten in the comms toolbox. For some, the Letters Page is regarded as old-fashioned, belonging to the glory days of newspapers, when they had more weight and influence. But, as that real-life instance showed, it can be a smart option.

The Letters Page belongs to readers. It’s the one part of a publication, rare in media, that is open to them. If there is something someone wants to get off their chest, a point they want to make, a letter to the editor will often suffice. From the chair or CEO, referencing a previous article, kept short, no longer than 250 words, max, and simple, no technical jargon or business-speak, not offensive or rude and it has a good chance of appearing. 

Treat it as a comms facility, yours to be used if you do it correctly.

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.