Business Writing Bad-News Messages That Work A "bad-news" message in business writing is a letter, memo, or email that provides negative or unpleasant information that is likely to disappoint, disturb, or even offend a reader. It's often referred to as an indirect message or a bad message. The purpose of a bad-news message is to inform readers about undesirable but not immediately dangerous events or conditions while keeping them informed and aware of what is happening in the company. A negative letter should be sent to all recipients except one who is exempt from receiving it. If you send out letters to everyone, even those who aren't responsible for making decisions, they will have a negative effect on the organization. Only send a negative letter if you are required to do so by law or if it will help keep your employees or customers informed and aware of what is going on in the company. Sometimes there is no other way to provide this information. For example, if a fire breaks out at a manufacturing facility and it is not under guard, those working inside would be injured or killed. In such cases, a letter informing people of the danger would be necessary to prevent further injury or death. Even though sending out a negative letter is not recommended unless you have to, it can be useful in certain situations. In conclusion, a negative letter is a letter that gives negative information.