Apr 19, 2019 3 min read

To our letter writers: Thank you.

Thank you for taking the time to share with the readers of this newspaper your opinions on matters that are important to you, our community and beyond.

Whether critical or complimentary – of public officials, societal trends or the newspaper itself – the Observer-Reporter is proud to provide a forum for civil discourse, with emphasis placed on the word “civil.” A respectful, open exchange of ideas and dialogue offers perspectives and viewpoints that otherwise might be overlooked.

It’s a privilege and responsibility that we don’t take lightly.

So when we heard that a few of our letter writers have been subjected to intimidating, racist messages sent anonymously to their homes after their letters were published in this newspaper, we felt compelled to speak out.

Thanks to the Founding Fathers, every American has the First Amendment right to free speech and to openly share his or her viewpoints without fear of retribution or persecution. Efforts to stifle them should not be tolerated.

What isn’t protected are obscenity, fighting words, child pornography, defamation, blackmail, perjury, fraud, incitement to commit crime and true threats.

We are reminded of the golden rule and similar childhood lessons: respect others and their opinions, even if they differ from your own.

We continue to encourage readers to put pen to paper – or, more likely, fingers to keyboard – and tell us what’s on your mind.

That said, let’s review guidelines for letter submissions:

• Refrain from personal attacks or sweeping characterizations of religious or ethnic groups. Name calling will not be tolerated, nor will statements that contain accusations of crimes or other libelous statements. They will be rejected.
• Express yourself as concisely as possible, striving for no more than 350 words. Letters that are to the point and respectful of opposing views will be published. Hateful rants will not.
• Include a name, address and phone number for verification purposes. Anonymous letters – even the most well-written – will be rejected.
• To prevent the space from being dominated by a few, only one letter will be accepted from the same author every two weeks.

Weber Shandwick’s Civility in America 2018 poll found that “Americans continue to perceive a severe civility deficit in our nation,” with 93 percent of survey respondents saying civility is a problem in society, and most (69 percent) classifying it as a “major problem.”

Let’s work to reverse those numbers.

One letter at a time.