COLUMN: Opinion page meant to be available for several viewpoints
This page has served as a public forum for numerous topics this year. I have done my best to keep the letters and columns civil, while at the same time, censoring as rarely as possible. For the most part, the more information and opinions that are made public, the more educated people will become and the more likely truth will churn to the top.
Of all the letters to the editor submitted, about 80 percent get printed. Earlier this week a letter implied that only the most controversial letters are printed, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Every letter is equally considered. The only reason letters are not printed is if the identity of the writer is in question, the letter is vulgar or obscene, or simply, because there are too many on one topic. Some issues attract one or two letters, others attract 12 or 13; obviously, we only have so much space in our paper.
Another hot topic this year has been the ads the paper chooses to run, including some in today’s issue. Truthfully, we haven’t turned down an ad this year. The ad staff, office manager and I don’t pick and choose which ads to run based on whether we agree or disagree with its message. Actually, the Statesman’s ad staff and news staff are totally separate; only a handful of us even know each other’s names. Ads are how this paper stays in business and we welcome any individual or organization willing to pay for ad space.
The members of the editorial board and I have worked hard all year to make the Opinion & Analysis page, as well as the rest of the paper, as balanced and fair as possible. We encourage all to submit letters on any topic and give feedback based on our content.
Emilie Holmes is the Editor in Chief of the Utah Statesman. Comments can be sent to editor@statesman.usu.edu.