A
letter sent to a
celebrity that is published in a
public forum, rather than simply
mailed. Open letters are almost always
editorials about a
recent action taken by the 'recipient' that the writer finds
objectionable. They also tend to
degenerate into
ad hominem attacks
poorly disguised as
appeals for
reason. These open letters tend to get published in forums that have never been visited by the 'recipient'.
When done well, an open letter can goad a response out of the recipient that would otherwise not be forthcoming.