Whenever I write about letters to the editor, specifically when I address the shortage of letters from right-wing writers and extend the invitation to conservative readers to share their views, several themes fill up my email inbox and phone line.
In no particular order:
• Why do I have to use my name? I’m afraid how the liberals/conservatives will respond to me if I share my views, because you know how terrible/awful/stupid/mean/dumb those conservatives/liberals are and that they’re all losers. You’ll know who I am, isn’t that enough?
In a word, No, we don’t publish letters from anonymous writers. And no political ideology has a monopoly on jerks — I hear this fear and loathing from all sides. Unnamed sources hold considerably less credibility than those who are identified, and having a conversation without knowing who is participating doesn’t add to our civic life. Accuracy and transparency is essential.
That said, if you’re one of those people who spend their time seeking out fellow Tucsonans who hold opinions you don’t like, instead of seeking them out to criticize and harass why don’t you do something useful instead? Register people to vote, volunteer with a nonprofit that helps others, plant a tree, pet a dog. Seriously.
• Why should I write a letter to the editor? I just know you’d never publish it.
We can’t publish letters we don’t receive. Would we publish a letter you write? If you don’t submit it, we’ll never know.
• You never publish letters from conservatives or people who support President Trump.
That is demonstrably false. But it’s true that most of the letters we receive — and therefore publish — are critical of Trump, his words and his actions. I estimate our letter submissions run about 90/10 liberal to conservative on political issues, although I don’t think that ratio reflects the Opinion page readership or the larger community.
And everyone agrees that the roads are bad.
If your letter states that President Obama was born in Kenya and Trump won the popular vote — no, it won’t be published because it’s clearly not factual. But if you write that you think Trump is the best president ever, that’s your opinion.
Some readers were outraged about my column last Sunday because I explained that we bend our guidelines in favor of right-wing letter writers, in order to include a range of views. Usually a writer is limited to print publication every 30 days, but you’ll sometimes see the same conservative letter writer in print more often. I hope more people will write letters and broaden the pool.
One particular reader thinks it is unfair that a select group of letter writers have a much higher chance of being published in the newspaper simply because the other group is conservative.
We publish almost every letter online at tucson.com/opinion, and I think the letters page in the paper requires point and counterpoint to be more a conversation than monologue.
Is it fair? Not in a bean-counting way, but I think knowing other viewpoints is helpful as individuals and a community.
• I’ll submit a letter only when you start running letters that support Trump.
Back to the starting gate on this one: We can only publish letters we receive.
A few readers have told me they’re upset that I keep asking right-wing readers to submit letters, saying Tucson is a liberal town so why do we need to hear from conservatives?
I think Tucson generally is a liberal town — and liberal doesn’t mean close-minded. And so I will keep inviting everyone to join the conversation. It might not work, but I’m not giving up.
