As we’ve said before, managing the Letters to the Editor section is not an exact science. And despite what some readers might think, there is no conspiracy afoot on the part of the editorial board, either.
This popular feature offers an intriguing representation of this community’s political and social ideas, ranging from one end of the political spectrum to the other. That means there’s plenty of room for you to have your say – especially during election season.
Since this year boasts a hotly contested presidential race with some big state and local races, chances are the letters section is going to get heated. If you’ve scanned a page on a particular day and scratched your head wondering how we choose which letters to print and when, the following is offered as an explanation – and to provide some guidelines for writing your own letter to the editor.
Our primary goal is to run as many letters as we possibly can. We believe the letters section should reflect as many of your ideas and opinions as can fit in the limited space. We also try to run letters in the general order that we receive them. That’s why you might notice more letters supporting Candidate A on a given day and more letters supporting Candidate B several days later. Readers see a letter supporting the candidate they don’t like and that prompts them to write in response. If we waited to print an equal number of letters supporting each candidate, we wouldn’t get the page out every day.
Also, if only a few people write about one candidate while dozens write in about his opponent, printing a couple of each isn’t really fair to the writers who took the time to share their ideas. We print what we receive (as long as it meets basic qualifications and we have the space). If you don’t like what you’re reading, write a letter of your own.
No matter how hard we try, we simply can’t print every letter we receive and we do cut off letters when writers become repetitive after awhile. There’s no hard rule to this. We have to figure it out as we go along. Best bet: Get your letter in early.
To improve your chances of seeing your letter in the paper, take note:
The shorter the letter, the better. Definitely keep it 300 words or fewer. Always include your first and last name, residential address and daytime phone number. We will only print your first and last name and city of residence. All other information is kept private. Letters that do not meet these qualifications are rejected.
That’s all there is to it. Letters can be submitted by e-mail (the best option), fax or regular mail. Instructions are in the box under the “Letters to the editor” banner.
Happy writing – and reading.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
