By Eileen Whitehead
Amplify your voice on the climate crisis by joining our pre-election MEDIA BLITZ to focus attention on the lack of climate action by our State Government.
- One very quick action to put climate on the media agenda before the election is to post a question on the ABC website Tell us what matters most to you and what questions you’d like answered. Making the next WA Government stand up to the influence of the gas industry must be a high priority for this election.
- Get involved with our LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CAMPAIGN during February. We are looking for people all over WA to write to state and national newspapers about the influence of the gas lobby on WA.
Like it or not, The West Australian is the most influential newspaper in the state. MPs consistently flick through its pages to gauge public sentiment on issues. That’s why we’d like a significant focus of letters to be to the West. If we can change some of the narrative in WA’s most read paper, we could make the influence of the gas lobby an issue at the March election.
So, have a browse of our Captured State Report and write about the points that you care most about. Here are some suggestions:
- Political Donations – Captured State Report, page 12
- The weakness of emissions and offset requirements – Captured State Report, page 24
- State Premier overrides EPA recommendations – Captured State Report, page 8.
Send your email during February, in the lead up to the state election, and don’t forget to share it with us when you send it.
Follow these simple tips as a rough guide:
- Keep it short. Under 200 words.
- Keep it simple. Make just one or two key points. People read fast, so use short sentences. Avoid jargon or acronyms. Don’t assume knowledge. Instead, ask yourself: will my letter make sense to people who don’t know much about this issue yet?
- Make it personal and/or local if you can. Personal stories are often strongly relatable. In a few sentences, what did you experience? How did it make you feel? Why does this matter?
- Don’t defame anyone.
- Feel free to try humour, but avoid sarcasm.
- Relevance. It’s good to refer to articles or letters published yesterday or the day before. You can refer to local stories to illustrate your point.
- Include a request for action. Ask your readers to do something about the issue, such as demanding action from their local MP etc.
- Check spelling, grammar and clarity before you send.
- Include your name, address and daytime phone number in case the editor wants to follow up. This is mandatory.
- Send it before lunch! Your letter is more likely to be published if it arrives in the editor’s inbox before midday, for publication the following day.
- Bcc us in to your email to the editor – our email address is perth@350.org.au. That way we know to keep an eye out for it the following day.
- Good luck, and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or further ideas – we’d love to hear them!
Newspaper contacts:
The West Australian: letters@wanews.com.au
Sydney Morning Herald: letters@smh.com.au
Courier Mail: letters@courier.net.au
The Age: letters@theage.com.au
The Australian: letters@theaustralian.com.au