The fall is always a time when we see an increase in the number of letter-to-the-editor submissions, which makes sense.
Election season tends to bring out more opinions, and the letters page has always been a great forum for provoking thought and discussion about candidates in all levels of government.
One challenge we face in managing the letters page, though, is how to run as many submissions as possible from as many different voices as possible. That's a primary reason we have a letters policy, a policy that appears on the Opinion page every day.
We limit the number of published letters from an individual writer to one per seven days. This prevents one or two people from flooding the letters page with daily submissions. On the other hand, we don't want to establish a policy that allows people one shot - and one shot only - at getting a letter published. At The Citizen for many years, a week has been a pretty good place to draw the line.
We also limit the length of a letter to 300 words. If we didn't establish some type of maximum, we'd open the letters page up to lengthy diatribes, which ultimately would cut down on the number of letters we could run on a given day in the space allotted. Our word limit is more generous than many papers, but we still get plenty of submissions that go beyond it.
My point in writing about these policies is to get some feedback on whether we should make any adjustments.
I ask because The Citizen and plenty of other newspapers are seeing fewer letter to the editor submissions these days, largely as a result of the Internet. Now we have Web sites that allow people to post their opinions with few restrictions. Unlike in a printed paper, where we have a finite space for content, there's little need to limit lengths or frequencies of comments online.
While our print edition letters page still generates a healthy amount of submissions, I can't help but wonder if we'd generate more by adjusting our policies.
Tell me what you think about the word limit. Is it too long or short? I can tell you that this column averages about 450 words, so right now our maximum letter is about two thirds of that.
And should we allow people to be published more or less frequently? Think it through. Would you like to read more from some regular writers? Would that be worth reading more from others that perhaps you don't care to read?
In the end, we may make no changes at all. But it seems like a good time to think about it, and a good idea to ask readers to help guide the decision.
Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's columns run Saturdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net
One challenge we face in managing the letters page, though, is how to run as many submissions as possible from as many different voices as possible. That's a primary reason we have a letters policy, a policy that appears on the Opinion page every day.
We limit the number of published letters from an individual writer to one per seven days. This prevents one or two people from flooding the letters page with daily submissions. On the other hand, we don't want to establish a policy that allows people one shot - and one shot only - at getting a letter published. At The Citizen for many years, a week has been a pretty good place to draw the line.
We also limit the length of a letter to 300 words. If we didn't establish some type of maximum, we'd open the letters page up to lengthy diatribes, which ultimately would cut down on the number of letters we could run on a given day in the space allotted. Our word limit is more generous than many papers, but we still get plenty of submissions that go beyond it.
My point in writing about these policies is to get some feedback on whether we should make any adjustments.
I ask because The Citizen and plenty of other newspapers are seeing fewer letter to the editor submissions these days, largely as a result of the Internet. Now we have Web sites that allow people to post their opinions with few restrictions. Unlike in a printed paper, where we have a finite space for content, there's little need to limit lengths or frequencies of comments online.
While our print edition letters page still generates a healthy amount of submissions, I can't help but wonder if we'd generate more by adjusting our policies.
Tell me what you think about the word limit. Is it too long or short? I can tell you that this column averages about 450 words, so right now our maximum letter is about two thirds of that.
And should we allow people to be published more or less frequently? Think it through. Would you like to read more from some regular writers? Would that be worth reading more from others that perhaps you don't care to read?
In the end, we may make no changes at all. But it seems like a good time to think about it, and a good idea to ask readers to help guide the decision.
Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's columns run Saturdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net
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Post your comment - click hereThere are 13 comment(s)
cm wrote on Sep 27, 2008 12:30 PM:
I think thru the years the Citizen has lost customers to the Post Standard, because the PO's coverage of MORE LOCAL news. I used to deliver the papers-they were NOT as flimsy as they are today.
The cost has grown more than the paper.
Also as in many businesses ONLINE/WEB has grown by atleast 25% in the past 2 years.
Local papers in my area just did a story on this very subject, some feel as ONLINE grows the Paper business will become obsolete.
YET, out of pure habit, I always buy the Citizen when I am in town. "
jlmorgansr wrote on Sep 26, 2008 8:07 AM:
Like Karl, I have been approached on the streets many times over asking me when I am going to respond to this individual and/or when I am going to write another letter to the editor. I have been told by many, theu only buy the paper to read the obits, the front page and the letters to the editor.
Think about that for awhile. "
karl again... wrote on Sep 25, 2008 1:54 PM:
"Mike Raygun is great"???
Tells me everything I need to know about you.... "
AJ wrote on Sep 24, 2008 7:35 PM:
cm wrote on Sep 24, 2008 6:11 AM:
similar to FG's last comment-local writers,
our paper holds a contest, local writers send in their column-it is in 3 groups (high school, middle age, senior)
the best is choosen and they their prize is "PRINT"
they write their column once a month for a year. Maybe a year is too long, but the winner could get 3 months?
I think it benefits the paper, and local writers! "
Citizen editors wrote on Sep 22, 2008 4:57 PM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on Sep 22, 2008 4:02 PM:
On the word limit -- that's a tough one. Often issues are too complex to explicate in only 300 words. On the other hand, your average reader will not even read that many words without losing interest (or, in some cases, mouthing off about how they don't want to read so much -- pathetic).
I leave that call up to you -- just keep in mind that the attention span of the average American is not sufficient to read and comprehend the explication of a thought requiring much more than a sound-byte's worth of information. "
cm wrote on Sep 22, 2008 12:53 PM:
raise the limit to 400 words.
send letters 2ce a week.
Use Mike Reagan every other week, with someone of his opposite, also every other week.. "
anonymous wrote on Sep 22, 2008 6:22 AM:
Nothing he regurgitates cant be found in any racist literature, and the lies and spin and talking points he vomits up are excrutiatingly nauseating at this point. "
AJ wrote on Sep 21, 2008 3:49 AM:
I also think the 300 word limit should be increased. "
brew1234 wrote on Sep 20, 2008 11:10 PM:
bill balyszak wrote on Sep 20, 2008 8:23 PM:
Basically, I feel it should be expanded to 400 words or more.
I also feel that you should ease up on the 'once in 7 days' rule if there needs to be a follow up amplification to a previous letter or a rebuttal to some else's letter if they use my name in their letter and it contains a ton of lies. Or if there aren't enough LTEs, then run some even if they would break the 7 day rule.
Have to agree with Karl - get rid of Mike Reagan's Sat. bs. I don't mind hearing other people's point of view but his writings border on way out lies and/or complete exageration or taking stuff out of context and slipping it in where he feels will have the greatest impact - and then runs. I'd love to write a rebuttal to one of his rants but then, it wouldn't have the same impact because I'm not syndicated. But I will if you can send my rebuttals to all the papers his rants run in. -) "
karl again... wrote on Sep 20, 2008 6:13 PM:
I wouldn't mind you having more "Guest Columns", ESPECIALLY ON SATURDAY!!
GET RID OF THAT BUFFOON MIKE REAGAN!!!
Limit Murray Lynch to two letters per week, please.
I also think that if a person is involved in a tete-a-tete with another person, you should print more than one letter a week from them--you honestly wouldn't believe how many people com eup to me and say "Whatcha going to say to so-and-so...?" when I get a response from someone to one of my letters calling me out buy name. People actually DO follow the argument!
Honestly though--get rid of that ridiculous, vacuous Nike Reagan, please?
Nothing he regurgitates can't be found on any NPR station or Faux News, and the lies and spin and talking points he vomits up are just simply nauseating at this point. "