A newspaper such as the CVN that holds itself to high standards of journalism should not permit name-calling in letters to the editor, and it should not allow a letter writer to address a statement to a reader. Letters to the editor should address subject matter covered in the newspaper and should speak directly to the editor.
Letters containing derogatory statements about individuals do a disservice to our community and besmirch the image of the publication. Lifted from policy statements online of an urban newspaper: “Personal complaints or attacks, poetry, plagiarized material, religious treatises or submissions from organized letter-writing campaigns will not be published. Name-calling and other forms of abrasive or abusive language can disqualify a letter.”
What I’m trying to say, and haven’t been successful in conveying, is that everything printed in the CVN reflects on the judgment and values of the publisher and editor of the paper. Thank you for your serious reconsideration of this important topic.
Carol Tuynman