Letter of Accreditation

A letter of accreditation is a letter used to assign the recipient credentials or a certain status. It is commonly used in the media world to grant journalists permission to cover an event, giving them access to non-public areas or interviewees.

Similarly in political diplomacy a country’s ambassador will be given “letter’s of credence” by their head of state, which authorizes them to represent their country overseas. This is known as diplomatic accreditation.

In the childcare and education system, nurseries, schools and other institutions may be given an accreditation letter by a board which recognizes that they’ve met a high standard of service and education, or the accredited entity itself may send a letter to parents informing them of the accreditation.

A media member would be issued a letter of accreditation that states they are allowed to be present in the media only areas of a sporting event and approach athletes for interviews. A letter of accreditation is a verification of the rights of an individual.

Steps

Starting to Write

1

State who exactly has been accredited and in what capacity (e.g. as a journalist for a certain newspaper, or the school as a whole).

2

Outline in detail what the accreditation certifies. For example a school may be a accredited for certain standards that they’ve met. A journalist may be given credentials to cover an event but with certain limitations. For example:  “All media personnel are assigned to the media tent and may only approach those that are specifically sent in to do interviews”.

3

Confirm the date(s) when any credentials are valid.

4

State the right to revoke accreditation if conditions are not met.

Sample Letters

Letter of Accreditation for Journalists Sample


To whom it may concern,

NASCAR hereby provides accreditation for Joyce D. Walsh to cover the Daytona 500 on February 14th, 2009.

Joyce D. Walsh  is given the right to be present in areas marked “media only” and is allowed to approach drivers before driver introductions for interviews. They are also eligible to take part in victory lane interviews after the race.

Joyce D. Walsh  recognizes that they agree to the NASCAR media conduct code, and accepts that if they are in violation of this code, their accreditation can be revoked and they will be removed from the premises. They also recognize that they are responsible for their own safety, and that NASCAR is not liable for any injuries that may occur as a result of the event.


Signature

Head of NASCAR media

Letter of Accreditation for Journalists Sample 2


Dear American Newswire,

On behalf of Climate Convention 2013, I hereby grant Terri Sopp Class B media credentials for the entire weekend convention (January 4 – 5, 2013).

This press pass permits Terri to attend the 11am press conference, and grants full access to the main public convention centre and any open presentations she wishes to attend. Whether a stall operator or guest speaker wishes to answer questions or grant an interview is entirely at their own discretion, however they are well aware of the media presence and the whole point of the convention is to  interact with the public and share climate science information.

Unless otherwise invited, Class B press members are not permitted to attend any privately held meetings.

Climate Convention organizers have the right to revoke media credentials at any time, and we are not explicitly liable for any injuries that occur on the job.

We look forward to your attendance.

Hannah Hart,

Climate Convention Media Department.
Signature.

Letter of Accreditation to Parents Sample


Dear Parents,

Long Island Meadow Nursery is proud to announce that we have been officially accredited by the Nursery Standards Trust for our high standard of care and education.

Many parents will know that we have been working diligently over the last year to achieve this milestone and have seen a notable change in the structure and success of our methods.

We would like to give a special thanks to parents who gave their positive feedback to the assessor and all the feedback you have given us on our new developments at the nursery. Your input has been fundamental in bringing a higher level of learning to your children.

Our hard work in continuously developing better care and education will not stop, and we still look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Yours sincerely,

Leonard Hall
Manager