Publisher's Point

Letters, we get letters

Ok, I will start out by aging myself, just in case my photo doesn’t already do that.

Do you remember hearing the lyrics “letters, we get letters, we get stacks and stacks of letters?” Yes, you're right it was The Perry Como show!

We also get stacks and stacks of letters but some of us do refrain from singing when we open them.

Many of the letters we receive at the newspaper are sent to us as letters to the editor. I encourage letters to be submitted to the editor and personally I enjoy reading them. Our editorial page offers an open forum for anyone to voice an opinion, within reason, of course.

I have been approached or called by individuals who have taken the time to send in a letter and it has not been published and once again it is assumed that I am the evil gatekeeper trying to censor what is published. Untrue. There are a number of reasons a letter is not published.

The writer forgets to put a name and contact number on it so that it can be verified. Yes, we do verify.

The writer has gotten carried away with words and it runs over the limit of 400 words. Yes, we contact these authors, if they have included a phone number. We do not edit anyone’s letter without talking to him or her.

Yes, we leave messages. We have a minimum of a dozen letters on hold, at this time, because people have not returned our calls.

Best advice I can give is that if you have submitted a letter and you have not seen it published within a week following submission – call us – there is a reason!

Lastly, no I do not keep letters from being published. If that were the case do you think you would be able to read ones that take direct aim at this newspaper or our editorial opinions?

As for those who do not like our policy of only one letter per writer in a thirty-day period, that’s is one thing I do control and that is not going to change.

The best way to submit a letter to the editor is to link to The Leader-Herald Web site at leaderherald.com, and submit through the Virtual Newsroom. You can send them to us by email at editor@leaderherald.com or by mail at 8 East Fulton Street, Gloversville, New York 12078.