Editorial: We need more letters to achieve a balance
Letters to the editor, a staple of The Post-Crescent's Views pages, are a
way to take the political and social temperature of the Valley. A
well-written letter allows readers to ponder different points of view,
perhaps made more poignant because the author is someone you might know. At
best, they should offer a full spectrum of beliefs and topics.
Recently, though, as the race for president heats up, we've been dealing
with this quandary: How can we balance the perspectives and topics of our
letters when many of our submissions have been coming only from one side?
We've been getting more letters critical of President Bush than those that
support him. We're not sure why, nor do we want to guess. But in today's
increasingly polarized political environment, we would prefer our offering
to put forward a better sense of balance.
Since we depend upon you, our readers, to supply our letters, that goal can
be difficult. We can't run letters that we don't have.
Finally, a myth to dispel: We don't give our letters any sort of political
litmus test to determine if they make it into print. If that were so, we
wouldn't run letters that take swings at who we are and what we print.
If you would like to help us "balance" things out, send us a letter, make a
call or punch out an e-mail. Read the handy box at the bottom of the page
for more information. We'd love to hear from you.
http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent/news/archive/opinion_15959053.shtml
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Most US workers saw their earnings fall or stagnate last year, with those at
the bottom of the income scale hit hardest.
The trend, coming alongside a slack job market, explains why many Americans
feel left out of the economic recovery - and why President Bush faces a
tough sell with his campaign-trail message that there is "good strong
growth." Democratic rivals point to "two Americas," one for the rich, one
for the poor.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0211/p03s01-usec.html
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