| Where
Are the Letters
to the Editors?
Written
by George Jochnowitz
Regarding The New Republic’s
Missing Letters to the Editor
October, 2007
The
New York Times has shrunk its size and cut down on the number of
letter to the editor published in the print edition. The Times,
alas, is not alone. There are no letters to the editor at all—not
a single one—in the September 24, 2007, issue of The New Republic.
There were none in the previous issue, nor in the one before that.
Serious, thought-provoking letters used to be a regular feature
of The New Republic. Letters expressing disagreements politely are
harder and harder to find. Instead, we find countless on-line sites
that print any letters they get, whether comprehensible or not,
grammatical or not, rational or not.
People who cannot write well should be able to get published too.
Writers who wish to snarl should be able to find room for their
grumbling. The availability of places where everyone can contribute
is an asset, not a liability. Nevertheless, it is not a substitute
for the variety of carefully constructed letters that used to find
more space where they could be printed.
We live in an age where political debate is becoming increasingly
rude. Rudeness is inherent in political debate, but it is no substitute
for detailed, careful argument. We can rejoice at the space that
has opened up for nasty letters, but we cannot be consoled for the
shortage of options for serious citizens who want to join the discussion
about the important matters that confront all of us.
It was never easy to get a letter published in the New York Times
or The New Republic. Now it is harder to do so in the Times and
impossible in TNR. How terribly sad!
—George Jochnowitz
—New York City
Comments
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|
Louise
Olivereau, Aprille
