Two months ago, I asked readers for some feedback on our letters policy.
Thankfully, plenty of readers spoke (a big fear for a columnist is to ask for reader input and to get nothing). And while some of the detail in their opinions varied, most had one suggestion in common - increase the word limit.
So today I report back with a change in our policy. From now on, we will put our word limit on letters to the editor at 400 words. That's a 33 percent increase over our old maximum length, which actually was more generous than many other newspaper policies.
But one thing I've noticed about The Citizen's readers is that they care deeply about issues in the news, on a local, state and national level. Numerous readers who responded to my September column said they wanted more room to make their points. They claimed that 300 words just wasn't enough sometimes.
I agree.
Some readers said we should have no length limitations, a concept for which I understand the appeal. But there needs to be some type of limitation to maintain some order on the letters page, and to ensure that we can print as many different letter writers as possible in a given week.
A limitless length policy could allow a sort of filibustering to take place on the letters page. And then there's the reality that most readers wouldn't be interested in reading lengthy manifestos.
I do believe 400 words allows a letter writer ample room to make a clear, reasoned argument. That length is a few paragraphs shorter, roughly, than the length we give for the columns that run down the left side of this page.
Although we're altering our word lengths, at this point the rest of the letters policy remains unchanged. We're going to allow the same writer to be published once per seven days, a time length that allows for regular participation and rebuttal but prevents someone from hijacking the letters space. I hear from plenty of readers who wish some writers would be restricted to a greater degree, but an equal number who think any frequency limitation is unwarranted.
The seven-day policy strikes a nice balance.
We're also keeping our rules in place for election season deadlines, and of course, all letters must be appropriate for a family newspaper. In case you haven't noticed, our letters policy appears every day near the bottom of the opinion page.
With the change I've announced, I'm excited about the future of our letters section, which is always one of the most popular destinations in a newspaper. Now it's up to you. Don't hold back. Start sending us your opinions.
Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's columns appear Tuesdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net
So today I report back with a change in our policy. From now on, we will put our word limit on letters to the editor at 400 words. That's a 33 percent increase over our old maximum length, which actually was more generous than many other newspaper policies.
But one thing I've noticed about The Citizen's readers is that they care deeply about issues in the news, on a local, state and national level. Numerous readers who responded to my September column said they wanted more room to make their points. They claimed that 300 words just wasn't enough sometimes.
I agree.
Some readers said we should have no length limitations, a concept for which I understand the appeal. But there needs to be some type of limitation to maintain some order on the letters page, and to ensure that we can print as many different letter writers as possible in a given week.
A limitless length policy could allow a sort of filibustering to take place on the letters page. And then there's the reality that most readers wouldn't be interested in reading lengthy manifestos.
I do believe 400 words allows a letter writer ample room to make a clear, reasoned argument. That length is a few paragraphs shorter, roughly, than the length we give for the columns that run down the left side of this page.
Although we're altering our word lengths, at this point the rest of the letters policy remains unchanged. We're going to allow the same writer to be published once per seven days, a time length that allows for regular participation and rebuttal but prevents someone from hijacking the letters space. I hear from plenty of readers who wish some writers would be restricted to a greater degree, but an equal number who think any frequency limitation is unwarranted.
The seven-day policy strikes a nice balance.
We're also keeping our rules in place for election season deadlines, and of course, all letters must be appropriate for a family newspaper. In case you haven't noticed, our letters policy appears every day near the bottom of the opinion page.
With the change I've announced, I'm excited about the future of our letters section, which is always one of the most popular destinations in a newspaper. Now it's up to you. Don't hold back. Start sending us your opinions.
Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's columns appear Tuesdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net
