I've learned through the years there are plenty of individuals with diverse opinions on a variety of topics.For the record, there is no better place to learn what is on people's minds than the daily editorial page.
Most of you already know that we publish opinion letters and columns on a page called "Editorial & Opinion." The page runs daily, and on Sundays we devote two full pages to the section.
We need that much room because we typically get more than 200 "letters to the editor" each month and generally publish more than 120 of them. That doesn't include writings from our nine regular columnists, who include Katherine Heerbrandt, Sam Bennett, Ann Burnside Love and Bill Pritchard.
I'm often asked by readers why some letters get printed while others don't.
It's a good question.
The best letters are those that adhere to our 200-word limit and state fact-based opinions about a topic of interest to a wide range of readers.
Some letters don't make it into print because they contain inaccurate statements, are strewn with obscenities or factual errors, or are potentially libelous. An opinion is one thing, but stating opinions based on blatant misstatements of fact is another.
We are also hesitant to publish letters that attack private citizens or businesses since most involve personal squabbles that are of no interest to most readers.
Letters that exceed the 200-word limit are often sent back to the writer to see if he/she will edit it. There are exceptions to this, which I will address at the end of this column.
The reason we limit the word count is so that we can squeeze more letters into the paper. I can tell you that the letters that have the greatest impact on readers are those that state a position in a clear and concise manner.
If we get a bunch of letters about the same topic, we will also often pick a few of the best to publish. This occasionally happens with certain hot-topic issues such as annexations, waste-to-energy and election campaigns.
And finally, you need to sign your name to the letter and provide your town of residence and your telephone number for verification. Anonymous letters are not published.
Most of the unsigned editorials on the left side of the editorial page are written by Editorial Page Editor Lee Permenter and his assistant, Dee Dolan. Other editorial writers include Nancy Luse, Cliff Cumber and myself.
I point this out because it's not uncommon for the official editorial of The Frederick News-Post to sometimes be at odds with the opinions of our regular columnists. This does seem to confuse some of our readers who think we are talking out of both sides of our mouths, but in reality it just proves that there are many points of view and there can be disagreements -- even among FNP writers.
For those of you who try but just can't keep to the 200-word count, there is another option.
Earlier this year we started a weekly reader column called "As I see it" that is published each Sunday. These columns are roughly 600 to 650 words.
We reserve this space for our best letters from readers who go out of their way to write about a topic that we think is well-researched and will have wide appeal to our readers. It is displayed prominently in our Sunday newspaper, and we will run a photo of you as well. But we will on occasion run longer letters elsewhere on Sunday or another day of the week if they are compelling and informative.
The hallmark of a great newspaper is to have a strong editorial page that reflects the diverse nature of the local community.
We think we have that here at The FNP, and we'd love to hear from you if you have something on your mind.
Terry Headlee is managing editor of The Frederick News-Post. He can be reached by phone at 240-215-8630 or by e-mail at theadlee@newspost.com. Letters to the editor can be sent via e-mail to letters@newspost.com.
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