A Word From The Publisher

Recently we have received several anonymous letters to the editor that we have declined to use. It seems that we perhaps need to explain our letters policy again.

In one case, several anonymous letters were submitted, apparently together, to complain about an individual sports coach. In addition to being unsigned, the letters were rather derogatory about the coach.

In another case, just this past week, a writer had a lot of interesting comments to make about the ongoing negotiations between the school district and teachers' union. That letter was worthy of print, but unfortunately it was received by mail with no name or return address, so it had to be discarded.

In order to be published, a letter must have a signature and include a phone number for verification purposes (not for publication). Anonymous letters are discarded.

In some circumstances, we will agree to publish a "Name Signed But Withheld Upon Request" letter, at our discretion. A writer must supply a reason for that request. Valid reasons include things like a potential for retaliation against the writer or his family for the views expressed in the letter. Letters cannot be personal attacks. It is, of course, a matter of judgment what constitutes a personal attack, particularly if a letter is critical of a public official or board. It would be acceptable to say "Public official X is doing a poor job" but not acceptable to say, "Public official X is an idiot." It's a fine line, but one which most people can stay on the right side of.

Exactly what constitutes a public official is also a matter of judgment. Certainly members of the Board of Trustees, the School Board and other boards and the upper administrators in the school district are public officials in our little community. On the other hand, a sports team coach in one of the leagues doesn't really seem to be a public official in the same sense. In that case it would seem more appropriate for a letter writer to discuss the policies of the league instead of the individual coach.

The letters column is one of our favorite features of the paper, and we look forward to getting more (signed) letters in coming weeks.

Meg Morgan Norris Publisher