From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally.

Open letters usually take the form of a letter addressed to an individual but provided to the public through newspapers and other media, such as a letter to the editor or blog. Especially common are critical open letters addressed to political leaders.

Letters patent are another form of open letter in which a legal document is both mailed to a person by the government, and publicized so that all are made aware of it. Open letters can also be addressed directly to a group rather than any individual.

There are a number of reasons why an individual would choose the form of an open letter, including the following reasons:

• To state the author's position on a particular issue,
• As an attempt to start a wider dialogue around an issue,
• As an attempt to focus broad attention on the letter's recipient, prompting them to some action
• For humor value
• Simply to make public a communication that must take place as a letter for reasons of formality

• Many of the epistles of the Bible (such as the Pauline epistles) are open letters
• J'accuse by Émile Zola over the Dreyfus Affair
• Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail
• Bill Gates's Open Letter to Hobbyists attacking software piracy
• David Cross's Open Letter to Larry the Cable Guy [1]
• The open letter given to Tarja Turunen by the other members of Nightwish at the climax of End of an Era
• Bobby Henderson's Open Letter to the Kansas School Board [2]
• Google's Open Letter to the net on net neutrality [3]
• Steve Jobs's Thoughts on Music concerning the past and future of DRM.
• Siegfried Sassoon's A Soldier’s Declaration, questioning the judgment of Britain's leadership in WW1.

Open Web Letter - for composing and publishing open letters online