Letter To The Editor

So, I get an e-mail in my personal work account inbox.

However, it's addressed to the editor. It begins, "Dear Editor."

Now, it's a letter about me. A good one. A letter about how the writer appreciated a story I wrote recently; and the writer compliments my writing. It's not just a thanks-for-covering-our-whatever type of letter.

The question is would you forward it to your editor if you were me? Or, does it seem like I'm tooting my own horn? (Which I guess I would be doing)

 

Clearly, it's meant for the editor and it's going to make points for you so why not forward it?

 

Would you forward it if it were a negative letter about you?

 

forward the hell out of it and then walk into his or her office and say: take that biatch.

 

good point. I doubt I would forward it either way. It's not like newspapers reward solid writing with a raise or anything.

 

Editors are (or should be) interested in feedback their reporters have gotten on their stories, good or bad.

 

Definitely forward it. And keep a copy for your next performance review. Compliments typically are few and far between in this business. Relish all you get...and thank your mom for sending it.

 

Must have been a good story. I got another letter from someone else today - and it was addressed to me though.

I forwarded the other.

 

It's either a CC of a letter that's meant to go to your editor or it's someone who expects you to forward it to your editor. Either way, forward that puppy!

Believe me, as a now-former managing editor, if one of my reporters got a letter that was that complimentary about his or her work, I'd have him or her send it my way so I could include it in personnel files. I'd also congratulate the writer in some way (for instance, a Slurpee for two reporters I know LOVE those things).

 

Two positive letters on the same story.

That's great!

 

I understand how unseemly it feels to toot your own horn. But if you don't toot it, it's quite likely no one else will, though in this case you'd actually be forwarding a toot, so it's not your own toot.

 

If you're worried about the appearance of horn-tooting, and if you have a general "letters to the editor" e-mail address, you might forward it to that, instead of to the editor himself. Either way, it'll get seen.