EDMOND — I love the political season. It incites people’s passions, curiosity and, more importantly, their desire to actually participate in this wonderful democracy.
The Edmond Sun has been the recipient of far more letters to the editor than usual and I would like to thank each and every one of those letter writers. It’s my firm belief that this page in the newspaper — the Opinion Page — is not my page but really the reader’s page. It’s their spot in the newspaper that is truly their forum and their place to express themselves with little filtering.
Our policy is to publish every letter we receive with a few exceptions. We reserve the space on The Sun’s Opinion page for those who reside in Edmond, Deer Creek and Arcadia, first and foremost. If you have an Oklahoma City address, but live in the Edmond school district, please let us know that when sending in your letter. We’ll make sure it gets put in the priority bin.
A few letters received this year I have not published because of their content. One recent letter writer wrote in her e-mail to me that some of the letters we have published are too vitriolic and that she purposely worked to make her point without any name-calling or other acts of literary hatred. And she did a beautiful job of it, too.
It is no easy task determining what is fair content to publish on an opinion page and what is in the realm of poor taste. Perceptions of what is right and wrong can differ widely. This newspaper tries to take a stance that allows readers the freedom of expression to make their point without libeling anyone or putting forth false information. We also keep the standards of our community at the forefront of our thoughts when editing.
I will be the first to admit that many times I do not agree with what local columnists and letter writers put forth, but I also will be among the first to champion their right to their personal opinion.
Some letters we receive are never published because they are not the original thoughts of the letter writer. It’s quite popular today among the political campaign machines to write letters for people, e-mail them out to vast numbers and hope those who are supporters will pick it up, attach their name to it and send it in to local newspapers. This violates the very honesty and accuracy that we in the newspaper business strive for on a daily basis. We wouldn’t attribute quotes in a news story to someone who did not say them, so how can we attribute the thoughts in a letter to someone who didn’t actually write those thoughts?
The Sun has received several such letters in the past two weeks alone and I’ve had to regretfully call each local resident and explain why their submission cannot publish. It’s fairly easy to spot a form letter in this day and age of Google.
My offer to each of those letter writers is the same that I will make to every person who reads this page — send us your original thoughts and we’ll happily print them both in the newspaper and online at www.edmondsun.com. Write about your worries, your solutions, who you’re supporting and why. It’s all a part of the dialogue that helps make our nation great.
LISA SHEARER is managing editor of The Edmond Sun. She may be reached via e-mail at lshearer@edmondsun.com.
Opinion
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OUR VIEW: Feb. 14 vote about ideas
If you read any of the letters to the editor in the past two weeks regarding Tuesday’s District 2 Edmond school board race, then you already know that this election is not about the individual candidates so much as it’s about what type of school board do Edmond residents really want governing their school district?
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What are your presidential 10 Commandments?
As we brace for the upcoming presidential campaign, we should be honest about our responsibility in the process. Before we get pushed, pulled, bribed, frightened, bullied, flattered, fooled or charmed into voting for a candidate, let’s take a mature thoughtful look at what the profile of the president should look like. In order to do that, let’s do an exercise. Sit down with a pencil and paper and draft your proposal for the Ten Commandments to be obeyed by the president. Let me share some of my suggestions.
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What would Reagan do today in Oklahoma?
As we celebrated the 101st anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth on Feb. 6, several of us at Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs started discussing what Reagan might do today. Here are some of the ideas we came up with.
- LETTER: School counselor says Roy ready to help all students
- LETTER: Supporter calls Duncan 'a firecracker'
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Consequences of an overregulated nation
Overreaching government regulations are costing jobs and killing our economy. They are a heavy burden on our nation and its citizens — in some cases worse than our nation’s increasingly out-of-control debt.
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LETTER: Supporter: Duncan shows passion for children’s needs
To the Editor:
The families in the Edmond Public School District are fortunate to have Kathleen Duncan as their advocate on the Edmond Board of Education. Duncan has worked tirelessly for the welfare and benefit of the Edmond schools’ students. -
LETTER: Teacher supports Duncan’s re-election
To the Editor:
On Feb. 14 patrons of District 2 have an opportunity to re-elect the current president of the Edmond School Board, Kathleen Duncan. Duncan has served as a board member for 10 years. When people move to the Oklahoma City area, they buy a home here because of the exceptional quality of Edmond Public Schools. This speaks to Duncan’s goal of “Excellence in Education for All Edmond Public School Students.” -
LETTER: Supporter: Duncan understands diverse issues
To the Editor:
Kathleen Duncan understands the diverse issues that effect our schools. She carefully studies the district’s issues and works tirelessly as an advocate for all students. Her votes as a board member have an impact for years to come and she takes that responsibility very seriously. - LETTER: Reader says incumbent's personal agenda in the way
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OUR VIEW: Feb. 14 vote about ideas
