Your opinions are important to this newspaper

Recently, the Jennings Daily News (JDN) has received a lot of feedback regarding our “Letters to the Editor” space that typically publishes in each Sunday edition’s Opinions page. Readers have noted that it seems the same individuals repeatedly write to us and sometimes the writers negatively focus on the same subjects week after week.

We will not deny these opinions. Because we see each page of our newspaper before it is published, we know who is writing to us and what topics they address. We will point out, however, that we, as a newspaper, have tried time and time again to encourage all residents to write to us concerning any topic that does not violate our Letters guidelines.

The guidelines for writing a Letter to the Editor are simple. All letters must be signed and include the writer’s address and telephone number for verification. Letters should address community or national issues and events, not personal vendettas against individuals or businesses (though sharing opinions as a voter regarding an elected official are permitted, if those opinions do not express a threat or inappropriate language). Furthermore, the JDN reserves the right to edit and/or deny publication of any letter, though this typically only happens if guidelines are ignored.

Because these guidelines are clearly published in our newspaper and on our www.jenningsdailynews.net site, if a letter is submitted to us and does not violate the guidelines, it is typically published. This does not mean that any or every employee of the JDN agrees with a letter writer’s opinions. It also does not mean that, as a newspaper, we agree with a letter writer’s opinions. It does mean, however, that we are standing by our guidelines in order to allow people to speak to the community.

Every person in this community and all of our readers, including those who read our online editions, have the opportunity to share their views as long as they adhere to the guidelines. But you can only share your opinion with us if you actually take the time to write then mail, fax or email a letter. It’s true, you might not see your letter published for a week or two due to letters received prior to yours and space allotment. We do, however, want to give every person the chance to share.

So, what are you waiting for? Talk to us. Talk to the community. You can email all Letters to the Editor to jdne...@bellsouth.net; mail them to 238 North Market Street, Jennings, LA, 70543; or fax them to (337) 824-3011.

No matter the issue, we do want to hear from you.

Short URL: http://www.jenningsdailynews.net/?p=15534

Posted by Graphic Designer 2 on Nov 16 2012. Filed under Editorial. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.