No Need to Add Editor’s Note on Letters the Paper Doesn’t Agree With
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
There was a time when I used to write a letter to the editor more frequently. It finally dawned on me that it was rare that I was able to influence anyone’s opinion, so I began limiting my letters to topics that had struck a raw nerve with me, and I needed to vent my opinion. Today I need to vent.
As far as I know, the purpose of the letter to the editor is for any person to express their opinion. It is not for the editor to correct the reader’s opinion by adding an editor’s note to the reader’s letter. Those who read that letter can decide for themselves if they agree with the arguments presented. If the editors have an opinion on a topic, they express it on the editorial page, not by diminishing the writer’s opinion with a note.
On occasion I have read letters pertaining to global warming, which have been followed by an editor’s note stating that most scientists agree that human-made global warming is a fact. This is not the place for editorial opinion. Moreover, if they feel the need to fact check, it should be done for all letters not just the ones they disagree with.
I haven’t seen any editor’s notes for all the crazy things that have been said about President Trump or any other conservative.
John V. Nicolais
Mahopac
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