A friendly response to an earlier blog raised a few questions I will try to address this week.
The first question asks what the difference is between a letter to the editor and a guest view is in The Monroe Times.
The answer is pretty simple. It depends on the source and the length of the submitted article.
A letter to the editor generally is an item thats submitted that is fewer than 400 words. Occasionally, when merited, I will allow a letter to be about 500 words, but no longer. Times policy restricts writers to one letter in a 30-day period.
A guest view generally is an item thats submitted thats longer than 400 words, and written by someone in a position of authority or possessing an expertise in the topic being written about. For example, elected officials viewpoints, if more than 400 words, will be presented as guest views. As another example, a citizens letter last week that was critical of the Brodhead school boards refusal to allow public comments at its meetings was published as a guest view because the citizen had petitioned the board about the matter.
Guest views are not, as the responder insinuated, reserved for specific friends of the editor (or politicians he is trying to impress). Newspaper editors arent worried about impressing politicians. And were too busy to have friends.
Im kidding, of course. For the most part.
The first question asks what the difference is between a letter to the editor and a guest view is in The Monroe Times.
The answer is pretty simple. It depends on the source and the length of the submitted article.
A letter to the editor generally is an item thats submitted that is fewer than 400 words. Occasionally, when merited, I will allow a letter to be about 500 words, but no longer. Times policy restricts writers to one letter in a 30-day period.
A guest view generally is an item thats submitted thats longer than 400 words, and written by someone in a position of authority or possessing an expertise in the topic being written about. For example, elected officials viewpoints, if more than 400 words, will be presented as guest views. As another example, a citizens letter last week that was critical of the Brodhead school boards refusal to allow public comments at its meetings was published as a guest view because the citizen had petitioned the board about the matter.
Guest views are not, as the responder insinuated, reserved for specific friends of the editor (or politicians he is trying to impress). Newspaper editors arent worried about impressing politicians. And were too busy to have friends.
Im kidding, of course. For the most part.
