Assessment Task 1: Letter to the editor (750 words) Description Students must write a letter to the editor of a mainstream news service (could be an online one) responding to a recent article on drug use (legal or illegal). Students must present their opinion, substantiated by evidence presented in the course and supplementary research. Students will be encouraged to submit the letter for publication though this is not compulsory. Assessment guidelines This assessment will require you to write a full version of a letter (750 words) and a shorter version of the letter (up to 200 words) for publishing. You will be required to submit both and only the full 750 word version will require proper academic referencing. Please refer to the examples of newspapers and topics below which will help you complete this assessment. You are not limited to these examples but it is a good place to start. Some newspapers where your letter can be published The Age ‘Rules and tips for submitting letters’ https://www.theage.com.au/comment/the?age?letters/rules?and?tips?for?submitting? letters?20150630?? gi249r The Age Letters https://www.theage.com.au/comment/the?age?letters How to submit a letter to The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/info/2015/jan/28/contact?the ?guardian?letters?desk The Guardian Letters https://www.theguardian.com/global/series/gw?letters How to submit a letter to The Australian https://www.theaustralian.com.au/help/editorial The Australian Letters https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/letters Some example topics https://www.theage.com.au/victoria/suspected?bad?batch?of?drugs? claims?three?victims?at?melbourne?? nightclub?20170610?gwothv.html https://www.vox.com/scienceandhealth/2017/7/10/15948726/nelsanellisalcoholaddiction https://www.sundayworld.com/news/smallquantitiesofdrugsmaybedecriminalisedafterreport Some example letters: ‘Legal drugs our biggest problem’ https://www.bellingencourier.com.au/story/4408520/lettertotheeditorlegaldrugsourbiggestproblem/ ‘When drugs and alcohol are the only answers’ https://www.theage.com.au/comment/theageletters/whendrugsandalcoholaretheonlyanswers201504121mj97t.html Losing battle against drugs https://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/15387782.Letters_to_the_Editor__Losing_battle_against_drugs/