No Political Letters to the Editor Will Be Printed
Is our local newspaper serving or silencing the people?
Last month two friends of mine submitted a Letter to the Editor of our local newspaper, and were told it could not be published.
The last two lines of their letter implied opposition to policies of the County Commissioners, which the editor identified as a political viewpoint. Their letter could appear in the online edition, he said, but not in the print edition. So they removed the two lines, and their letter was printed.
Around that time, the newspaper published an editorial explaining their new policy. They said,
[In a recent election] we had a number of letters endorsing candidates that eventually were swamping the letters to the editors section and, in a number of cases, just ended up saying the same thing. … [Also] campaigns often come up with “form letters” that are submitted.
But it’s good to know our hometown newspaper doesn’t want to charge money for such letters, as some other newspapers do. The editorial continues:
So we have decided that any election-related letters, including endorsements or critiques of candidates running in the upcoming May 19 primary and November’s general election will be printed in our online edition but not in the newspaper.
Their 350-word and twice-a-month limit for letters will still apply.
You have to remember that the online edition of the paper doesn’t reach everyone in our mountainous county, and not everyone here can afford internet or get to the library.
Even though I see the publisher’s business point of view, a democracy really needs a citizens’ soapbox, free and open to all. A hometown newspaper should provide space for civic expression.
I understand that Emmeline Pankhurst, above, might have drawn a crowd that blocked traffic, and a few delivery men might have been stymied. And I know that a newspaper publisher today has to balance the budget.
In 2018 a California newspaper company declared that, beginning two months before an election, election-related letters to the editor would be designated as advertising “for or against a candidate, ballot measure or political party”. The charge for such a letter? $95 for the first 2 inches and $20 for each inch thereafter. Rules for letters to the editor still applied, including name and word count; the editor still reserved the right to hold the letter to editorial standards.
I have to wonder, who at the newspaper decides whether a letter actually endorses a candidate or party? For example, even when someone is not named, if it’s a hot issue in town I’m sure the readers can guess who’s being talked about.
Or, does this policy bar from print a letter about local issues, and about how well our elected officials are fulfilling their duties?
I have a couple of thoughts about our newspaper’s current problem of political letters being repetitious and taking up too much space.
First, if I were the editor, I’d announce that the paper will print a “form letter” only the first time it’s submitted, along with the names of everyone who sent it in individually.
Second, to save space (busy readers will cheer at this) limit the words to an average postcard, say, 40 words plus signature. Postcards-to-the-Editor!
Of course, a newspaper has to stay in business and we all want it to. But isn’t the vitality of our democracy also a newspaper’s business? Maybe it’s the most important.
Perfect! Thank you, Deda!
Good Morning, Deda, I have forwarded this to several friends here in Tucson who frequently are published in Letters to the Editor in the Arizona Daily Star. it is one part of our paper that I read every day. Thanks again, for your delightful postcards.