Election and letters to the editor

There was a situation at work today about letters to the editor and the election.

I guess my shop isn't running election letters about a race in the last edition before the election unless someone from the opposition writes in as well. We get a letter from someone endorsing a candidate and a reporter calls the opponent up to tell her she can get a letter in too.

I thought it's not our place to call for balance if one candidate doesn't have anyone submitting a letter supporting them

 

Don't know about calling the oppopsing candidates for a letter. Wow.
Equal time is great and all that but wow.

We cut off all election-related letters last Sunday. Anything election-related recieved after 4 p.m. Monday will not run.
We've been running those letters everyday this week, cutting out columnists space to get them all in before Sunday.

 

I suppose it's a noble thought, but this is not news: Nobody is going to be swayed by a letter to the editor on Monday.

 

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I suppose next you'll tell me no one follows the lead of newspaper endorsements either.

 

They certainly do. They usually vote the other way.

 

I don't think a paper is under any obligation to get responses for letters to the editor. Not for any "equal time" consideration, at least (if there's material that's questionable and requires an answer, that's a different story). Those are the readers' playground. If Mr. Righty wants to respond to Mr. Lefty, he will. And he does. I kind of get a kick out of watching two people "fight" on the editorial page. If the mayor or the state senator or the local party chairman wants to respond, they can. Most of the ones I've met tend to stay on top of what's being written about them in the Daily Rag USA.

Though at my last shop we also had a cut-off. I think it was something like, you had to have it post-marked or sent in the Friday or Monday before the election.

 

My question always has been why do newspapers run letters that are just blatant plugs for one person or another. Shouldn't letters to the editor be more than that... like specific to something that was in the newspaper and not just vote for smith, he's the best ra ra bullshit...