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Letter writing guideline
If
you would like to join our readers this month in this daily dialogue on
public issues and public life in Ventura County, here are a few
guidelines:
- Write about an issue of public concern. The letters
column is not a forum for the airing of private disputes, or to
challenge a parking ticket or a government action that pertains to a
single individual.
- Make your letter topical. Letters to the editor are a
form of news and, as such, timeliness is an important element. If
something in the news motivates you to write, do it today rather than
wait a week to think it over.
- Keep your letter brief. Readers tell us, and we agree,
that they are more likely to read and be affected by short letters than
long ones. We will consider longer submissions, but the chance of
timely publication and the opportunity for impact on other readers is
enhanced if you state your points in 300 words or fewer.
- Focus on our community. Of course, we publish a great
many letters about state and national affairs, but as the best-read
forum for discussion of issues of specific concern to the communities
of Ventura County, we give priority to those letters that deal with
community issues.
- Always include your full name, address and telephone
number. We publish only the author?s name and hometown, but we need the
address and telephone for verification and to check back with the
author if we have questions. We do not publish anonymous letters, or
those signed with a pen name, or using only initials.
- Typed or computer-printed letters are preferred. We do
publish
handwritten letters, but it takes longer for our clerks to process
them.
Once a month, please. In order to make this forum
available to the maximum number of readers, we limit the frequency of
any given letter-writer?s contributions to once every 30 days.
SEND TO:
letters@venturacountystar.com
EXAMPLES OF
LETTERS
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