Let’s talk, New West.
Specifically, let’s talk about letters to the editor — because it’s a subject I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter about on social media. (And by “chatter” I mean “complaining about stuff I read in the Record.”)
The most common complaints I’ve been seeing are variations on the same theme: Why would the Record publish that letter? Why would the Record give airtime to that opinion? Surely the Record doesn’t support this person’s view about XYZ?
Here’s the thing: When it comes to letters to the editor, it doesn’t matter what view the Record supports or doesn’t support (not, mind you, that the newspaper has one homogeneous viewpoint anyway).
That’s the whole point of letters to the editor. The letters section isn’t where your newspaper tells you what matters — it’s where you tell us what matters to you.
Let me be clear: There are some limits on what will be published. We won’t publish letters that give voice to racism, homophobia, misogyny or other forms of hatred. We won’t accept those that defame someone. We won’t publish those that are flat-out factually incorrect (and, no, the fact that you disagree with someone’s opinion doesn’t necessarily make their letter factually incorrect; getting facts wrong is different than holding an unpopular opinion).
Within those (very wide) boundaries, we’ll publish as many points of view as we can from as many different writers as we can — because part of our mission as a community news outlet is to give New Westminster residents space to share their views.
Letters to the editor are arguably the purest little slice of democracy there is.
You don’t have to sign up or belong to anything to write one. You don’t have to have friends in high places or be well connected in the community. You don’t have to have a particular type of employment or a particular connection to any organization. You don’t have to hold a particular viewpoint or subscribe to a particular belief system.
Heck, you don’t even have to be a particularly good writer. (Though I love a well-written missive with a thoughtfully crafted message, I’m also mindful of the fact that not everyone’s first language is English and that not everyone has the same level of education, nor the same skill with pen or keyboard.)
All you need is an opinion that you want to share with the community — one that you’re willing to put in writing and sign your name to.
The letters to the editor section is your space, as a New Westminsterite, to comment on life in the community we share.
Whether you want to say thank-you to someone who brightened your day, to raise concern about an issue that’s bothering you or to offer suggestions for improving our city, you can write a letter and share your ideas with your neighbours. And, as I always remind people, we can't publish letters we don't receive — so if you don't see your point of view represented in the letters section? Well, you have the power to change that.
As a 25-year resident of New West myself, I like knowing what my neighbours are talking about and how they view life in the community I love. Even when I disagree with them — and believe me, I have published many, many letters I disagree with — I find it illuminating to know how other people see the world.
Granted, the letters section doesn’t always feel representative of the entire demographic spectrum of New Westminster. Without any hard data in hand (since we don’t require folks to disclose personal information beyond their name and contact details), I think it’s safe to say our letter writers have tended to skew older, whiter and more male than the general population.
We know there's more to public opinion in New West than just one segment of the population.
That's why we've been trying to encourage more letters to the editor from more folks. You may have noticed a call for letters at the foot of many of our stories and letters in recent weeks, and the response has been heartening. We’ve been hearing from not just familiar, longtime Record readers but from new voices as well.
We value all those opinions, from folks from all walks of life. Whether your family has been in New West for generations or whether you're new to the city, we're your community newspaper, and we want you to be part of it.
It genuinely warms my heart, after three decades in community journalism, to know that letters to the editor still matter to people.
Seeing members of my community writing letters to share thoughts about what’s important to them? That matters to me, and it matters to us as a newspaper.
In a perfect world, the letters to the editor section would genuinely reflect the whole spectrum of views held by the diversity of New Westminster’s population.
We’re not there yet. That's the thing about democracy. It's messy and imperfect, and it isn't always pretty. But the more people who take part, the better and more representative it becomes.
That's where you come in.
If you’ve been wondering whether you should share some thoughts, please do. You can send us an email, use the letters to the editor form right here on this website, or even send one in the mail to the New Westminster Record, 201A-3430 Brighton Ave., Burnaby, B.C., V5A 3H4 (not gonna lie, handwritten letters to the editor are still one of my favourite things in the whole world).
If you’re not the letter writing kind, that’s OK. You can still comment on our stories online or share your thoughts on Facebook, too.
But letters to the editor? I’ll always love those most of all.
— Julie MacLellan, assistant editor
Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, [email protected]
