Have an opinion?
How we share it is about to change
For many years Feather Publishing implemented rules about how many “letters to the editor” an individual could submit. There were parameters that also limited how many times one writer could opine on the same topic. However, that wasn’t always easy to put into practice, so we deviated from those guidelines and began printing nearly every letter that was submitted.
One of the complaints that we hear most often from our readers is that a few habitual writers dominate our “letters” section. That concern, coupled with a planned redesign of that section of the newspaper, prompted us to rethink how we handle letters to the editor. Our readers who have contributed to other newspapers are no doubt aware that those publications print only a smattering of what they receive.
Beginning with the next week’s edition, we are going to use discretion as to what makes it to print. We are no longer going to publish what are essentially the same diatribes ad nauseam. The “letters to the editor” section is a valuable opportunity for our readers to share their opinions on a variety of topics that are important to them and we are committed to continuing that practice — but the letters will be published with more discretion on our part.
As mentioned earlier, Feather Publishing is undertaking a redesign of our newspapers. There might be a slight change in appearance, but our focus is going to be on the content. We want to know what you the readers enjoy about the newspaper and what you appreciate, as well as what you don’t. We also want to know what you would like to see that we are not providing now. Soon, we will be sharing a survey to gather opinions, but if you have ideas now, you can send them to our editor. She can be reached at [email protected].
It’s no secret that daily newspaper readership has declined as more people turn to other sources for their news, but that hasn’t been the case for weekly publications such as Feather Publishing’s family of newspapers. Weeklies continue to be a unique source of community news. That being said, we are also aware that our website — plumasnews.com — is invaluable when there’s breaking local news. Our website received 1.3 million page views last year and there are clearly spikes when there’s information that needs to be spread quickly such as last winter’s floods and this past summer’s fires.
Our job now is to balance the two — our print and our online publications. To that end, we are turning to you, our readers, to make both experiences as relevant as possible.