Letters, letters, everywhere

Many of us are familiar with the newspaper slogan, “All the news that’s fit to print.” Many have also heard the amusing turn of phrase, “All the news that fits.”

Members of the media are fond of pointing out their importance to their communities and the news and services they provide. They are the watchdogs for our society.

While these ideas form the backbone of the media, the press and The Mountain-Ear, sometimes it’s important to point out some of the more practical aspects of the media, and newspaper production in particular. Producing a newspaper is a balancing act between revenue received through advertising, public announcements and subscriptions against the cost of writing, designing, printing and circulating the newspaper.

On a weekly basis, advertising drives the size of the newspaper. The advertisements form the outside and bottom of a newspaper page, leaving the editorial well in the middle of a page for articles, editorials, photographs and other content. Thus, the amount of advertising determines the amount of space in the paper for everything else.

This is also true for letters to the editor. Staff members of The Mountain-Ear are very pleased that area residents see the paper as a viable means of communication to the public. Seldom does an issue go by when at least one letter runs, and most editions have at least three. Space is limited, though, so not all letters will get in the week they are submitted. In this case, they will run the next week.

As stated regularly in The Mountain-Ear, the deadline for letters is noon on Monday. Letters submitted by then will be included on a first-come, first-served basis as space allows. Letters must be signed and must include place of residency (Nederland, Rollinsville, etc.). Letters may be edited for grammar and spelling and must not include profanity or libelous or slanderous statements. The Mountain-Ear encourages dialog in a civil way, backing up opinions with facts.

Thanks again for making The Mountain-Ear not only the ear, but the voice, of the Peak to Peak region.