Early in my career, a veteran journalist said that one letter to the editor represents 100 minds. This off-the-cuff statistic is debatable, at least in terms of which minds the letter represents. Some letters stem from a vocal minority’s agenda or a fringe candidate’s election campaign.
In the bigger picture, letters are a direct link between a publication and its audience. If a topic motivates one reader to craft a letter, what about loyal readers who never write letters? Perhaps their reaction takes shape as a passionate speech before city council members or as a discussion at the dinner table.
A handful of “regulars” ensure that The Mirror’s letters section rarely runs empty, but new letter writers always surface. Letters act as a barometer for public opinion, albeit a limited barometer, allowing readers to sample someone else’s flavor of thought.
The best part about letters printed in The Mirror, and any other newspaper for that matter: The letters are signed. Whether you agree or disagree with a letter writer’s opinion, the writer’s name accompanies each letter in print. This standard procedure encourages more thoughtful discourse, and may even reduce the frequency of sarcasm and cheap shots.
The letters section in The Mirror contrasts with the newspaper’s online comments section, where commenters usually choose anonymity. These anonymous opinions mark new territory for traditional media. On a particularly hot topic, ample online feedback serves as a measuring stick for public sentiment. The comments lead to fact-checking and spinoff discussions, potentially deepening our understanding of an issue.
The promise of anonymity has generated feedback from readers who otherwise stay in the woodwork. Anonymity grants regular letter writers another outlet for their opinions, with the option of creating an alternate identity to suit an alter-ego. Anonymity also cheapens the credibility of an online comment, and even encourages commenters to amplify their vitriol because they can get away with it.
The Mirror prints as many letters as space and decorum allows. Any signed letters that don’t fit in print are posted online. With a valid e-mail address, readers may comment freely and anonymously on any story or letter online. Regardless of your preference, consider that anything worth reading is also worth signing. Anonymity lends itself to entertaining banter, but at the cost of not being taken as seriously. After all, if a message is not worth standing behind, then what is it worth in the first place?
