The Impact of Newspaper Editorials and the Importance of Acting on Them
In 2003 Wisconsin reinstated dove hunting; Minnesota in 2004; Iowa in 2011; and Ontario, Canada in 2013. Unchallenged Newspaper editorials which opposed these new hunting opportunities helped fuel the controversy and generated great difficulty in passing reforms in these states.
Here are some examples:
“For the first time since 1955, the province is allowing the hunt of the symbols ... Mourning doves are a familiar sight in Ontario, at backyard bird” ...
“Most Canadians know mourning doves by their plaintive cry, but some of us are” …
“The citations for the mourning dove offenses occurred during that time period in” ...
“This survey of voters finds that most would like the historical protection of doves within the state to continue”…
“I do not approve the new game-bird status of the Mourning Dove. It is another thorn in my flesh. That lovely and lovable” ...
“I am very concerned that the Minnesota Legislature is again considering a bill to legalize dove hunting. I urge you to oppose dove hunting and any other bill to” ...
We urge our supporters to gear-up for when it hits NY. It is essential that you challenge editorials published in your local newspaper which oppose dove hunting!
Remember:
How to Respond to Editorials
Here are some examples:
“For the first time since 1955, the province is allowing the hunt of the symbols ... Mourning doves are a familiar sight in Ontario, at backyard bird” ...
“Most Canadians know mourning doves by their plaintive cry, but some of us are” …
“The citations for the mourning dove offenses occurred during that time period in” ...
“This survey of voters finds that most would like the historical protection of doves within the state to continue”…
“I do not approve the new game-bird status of the Mourning Dove. It is another thorn in my flesh. That lovely and lovable” ...
“I am very concerned that the Minnesota Legislature is again considering a bill to legalize dove hunting. I urge you to oppose dove hunting and any other bill to” ...
We urge our supporters to gear-up for when it hits NY. It is essential that you challenge editorials published in your local newspaper which oppose dove hunting!
Remember:
- Newspaper editorials do matter. They indeed influence policy decisions.
- Policy Deciders take editorials so seriously that they monitor newspapers to avoid missing them.
- Editorials can be authored by a local reader, an advocate from outside the local area, or by newspaper staff.
- Anti-hunters successfully use editorials to influence policy decisions.
- When hunters do not challenge such editorials, the influence of anti-hunters is much greater.
- Follow the newspaper’s letter guidelines, send your rebuttal immediately, avoid ideology and construct your narrative using facts.
How to Respond to Editorials
- Follow newspaper guidelines. This includes watching out for phone calls from the newspaper to verify you are a real person. Most newspapers will not publish letters unless they speak with the writer and they will only call once or twice.
- Do not delay your action, respond promptly.
- If the editorial misrepresents any facts or exaggerates, one approach is to provide the correct facts and context. However, that is sometimes difficult due to the convoluted nature of the anti-hunting narrative. Therefore, sometimes it is best to just state solid facts without directly confronting the content of the editorial.
- Be confident in the information published on our website. We have studied thousands of documents prepared by anti-hunters, and not once have we encountered any without incorrect information. However, even bold-faced lies can be hard to detect, because anti-hunters use segments of facts and distort them to produce propaganda that appears to be legitimate reporting of fact.