TERRE HAUTE —
As an old year turns into a new year, I am inclined to look back and assess the newspaper’s performance on behalf of readers the past 12 months. When I do, the volume and quality of reader letters we publish always amazes me.
Every year for as long as I have been overseeing T-S opinion pages (22 years now and counting), our Readers’ Forum has published somewhere between 1,100 and 1,200 submissions. Some years have produced more, but never less. Several hundred more letters are submitted but not published.
The volume and variety of these published letters is undoubtedly one of the reasons that opinion pages remain highly popular content among readers, not only here but at newspapers everywhere.
Of course, there is no shortage of opinions for consumption these days, thanks to the Internet. But these tend to be on broad topics rather than local ones, and Internet opinion sites are loaded with anonymous posters whose heavy-handed and sometimes uncivil behavior chases away reasonable voices.
Newspaper letters columns, however, rarely, if ever, allow writers to remain anonymous. And it’s the T-S policy to decline publication of material deemed uncivil or containing personal attacks. That doesn’t mean the discussion can’t be passionate and robust. In our letters columns, it often is.
So, I’m looking forward to another year of vigorous debate and lively exchanges in the Readers’ Forum. And for those who may want to get involved for the first time in 2013, or those who just need a reminder, I offer some tips on putting together a letter that increases the likelihood that it will be published.
• Always provide us with your full name, address and a phone number for verification purposes. Only your name and city of residence will be published with the letter.
• Using email (opinion@trib
star.com) is the preferred method for receiving letters. It allows us to publish your comments more quickly. We accept letters via fax or mail, but because we have to re-type them, there could be a delay.
• Keep your submissions brief and on point. Space on our pages is tight, and readers are more apt to read shorter letters than longer ones. While there are no strict word limits, please follow these guidelines to enhance your chances of getting published: Less than 400 words should be your goal. Shorter is ALWAYS better.
• Readers know that we do consider and publish longer letters. But it’s unlikely we will publish any submission with more than 700 words. I repeat: brief is best.
• We do not accept letters that include customer-service complaints about businesses, or letters that air personal grievances with any person or entity, public or private.
• Avoid using web addresses in letters, especially longer ones. They take up valuable space and provide little useful information.
Adhere to these guidelines, and your letter will most likely be printed, usually within a week after we receive it. Keep in mind that the most common reasons letters we receive are not published is because of length, failure of the author to include required personal information, or they are no longer timely when space becomes available.
The T-S has great letter writers who keep things vibrant on our opinion pages. We would like for even more of our readers to join in the discussion.
Max Jones can be reached at 812-231-4336, or by email at max.jones@tribstar.com. Follow him on Twitter, @TribStarMax.
Max Jones
MAX JONES: There are simple ways to get your letter published
- Max Jones
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MAX JONES: The American Newspaper: Changing? Yes. Dying? No way!
It happened again this past January when all those “looking at the year ahead” stories started popping up on Internet “news” websites and broadcast “news” programs. Under a provocative headline reading something like “Five industries/businesses doomed to tank in the coming year,” there it was, a prediction based on an unsubstantiated “expert” analysis that the newspaper industry will continue in 2013 to suffer its slide into oblivion.
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MAX JONES: Call it religion if you want, it’s still bigotry
The tiny grocery store my grandfather operated in the 1950s and ’60s was often a gathering spot for the colorful cast of neighborhood characters that populated my hometown. I liked hanging out there with my brothers or cousins because it was good entertainment and we all enjoyed the way our granddad interacted with the locals.
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MAX JONES: Social media can actually serve a useful purpose
If you’ve spent any time at all on Facebook and Twitter, you know that so much of what we now call social media is mindless banter. Not that this is a bad thing.
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MAX JONES: There are simple ways to get your letter published
As an old year turns into a new year, I am inclined to look back and assess the newspaper’s performance on behalf of readers the past 12 months. When I do, the volume and quality of reader letters we publish always amazes me.
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MAX JONES: Newspapers have story to tell about bright future
Rarely does a week go by when someone doesn’t call, write or stop me on the street to express how much they value their local newspaper and appreciate what it means to the community. Usually they like to tell me that it’s the print edition they find most satisfying, but many acknowledge they also use the online edition to keep an eye on things as well.
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Max Jones: Dances for CHANCES — great fun for worthy cause
Many years ago — too many to ponder at the moment — I joined a community theater troupe in Sullivan and had the opportunity to perform in several Broadway musicals. In one instance, I was fortunate to have the lead role portraying George M. Cohan in the musical “George M!”
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MAX JONES: News dynamics sometimes test an editor’s principles
It has been a long-standing policy at the Tribune-Star not to publish the names of crime victims
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MAX JONES: Got a question for Lugar-Mourdock debate? Submit it
Hoosier voters, especially those who choose a Republican ballot for the May 8 primary election, face a difficult decision this spring. Longtime U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar faces a spirited re-election challenge from state Treasurer Richard Mourdock for the GOP Senate nomination. The winner advances to a general election showdown in the fall with the presumed Democrat nominee, Rep. Joe Donnelly, and any third-party or independent candidates who qualify to run.
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MAX JONES: The sun never sets on Indiana’s time-zone debate
When Mitch Daniels aggressively pushed for Indiana to adopt daylight-saving time in his first term as governor, I admit I was not enthusiastic. The state, I figured, had found a way to handle its awkward time-zone geography by merely maintaining the time status quo while states around it changed their clocks twice a year. We peacefully coexisted with that strategy for a couple of decades.
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MAX JONES: It is amazing what an energized downtown can do
For those of us who’ve watched the inspired growth and development of downtown Indianapolis through the years, it’s hard to understand sometimes the amazement some express at what’s been created.
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MAX JONES: More changes and challenges, but we’re getting there
As a newspaper lands on your porch each day, or you grab it from a local vendor, the complex manufacturing process that goes into producing it is probably the furthest thing from your mind.
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MAX JONES: Arranging the pieces so it all makes sense
Putting together a newspaper, with its diverse mix of content, is sort of like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. You just have to keep mixing, matching and playing with the pieces until things begin to look right.
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MAX JONES: Community newspapers too valuable to go away
These days, rarely a week goes by without someone — a co-worker, a friend, a professional associate, an acquaintance, etc. — asking for my thoughts about the future of the newspaper industry.
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MAX JONES: Angry emotion yet to rear its head in mayoral race
October has arrived. Five weeks remain before Election Day, and a staple ingredient seems to be missing from Terre Haute’s mayoral campaign season.
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MAX JONES: Join us as we walk in the shadows of 9/11
The 10th anniversary of 9/11 has sparked renewed interest toward a haunting time in modern history. With all that’s happened the past 10 years related to the terrorist attacks of 2001, it still seems like only yesterday that we all were watching those terrible images of commercial airliners flying into buildings, towers collapsing and grief-stricken people all across America — and the world — mourning the victims.
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MAX JONES: 9/11 ‘moments’ still vivid 10 years later
With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaching, Americans are recalling in vivid detail where they were when they first learned of the terrorist attacks.
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MAX JONES: Something special — courtesy of your newspaper
Publishing a daily newspaper is our bread and butter here at the Tribune-Star.
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MAX JONES: Ernie Pyle never ceases bringing pride to Indiana
Once again, Ernie Pyle has made me proud to be a journalist.
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MAX JONES: What do you know about that founding Declaration?
Of all the national holidays Americans celebrate, July 4th — Independence Day — sports the most essential link to the country’s shared history and ideals.
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MAX JONES: Ready, action! Video lets us tell even better stories
Those of you who make the Tribune-Star’s online edition part of your reading routine — and there are approximately 40,000 of you each week who do so — have been treated recently to an enhanced feature on our website.
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MAX JONES: Vigo County played active role in Civil War history
When the Tribune-Star set out to find a way to commemorate Vigo County’s unique role in Civil War history on the 150th anniversary of its beginning, I was concerned it might be difficult to find much information on the subject locally.
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MAX JONES: Local seminar to shed light on access
Transparency in public information is an important principle for the proper functioning of government at all levels. Vigilance is key in ensuring that public records and meetings remain open and accessible to citizens of our communities.
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MAX JONES: Readers benefit from new resource
The Tribune-Star’s primary mission is to report news and tell stories that are relevant to our large community of readers, helping them be better informed and more engaged citizens.
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MAX JONES: Farewell to Stephanie, for a while
The Tribune-Star and its legions of readers throughout the Wabash Valley were extremely fortunate six years ago to welcome back a native daughter.
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MAX JONES: Friends ready for next big step at Pyle historic site
The campaign to preserve the legacy of World War II journalist Ernie Pyle in his hometown of Dana passed a milestone last week. Indiana’s Natural Resources Commission voted to end the state’s involvement in the Pyle historic site and turn it over to the Friends of Ernie Pyle organization.
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Max Jones: Taking the pulse of community progress
Terre Haute and Vigo County have been in a period of vibrant change in recent years.
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MAX JONES: Printed newspaper will be here for years to come
Whenever I speak to groups or individuals around the community about the state of the newspaper industry, I often get confused looks when I say that newspaper readership is growing rapidly and has never been higher.
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MAX JONES: The American Newspaper: Changing? Yes. Dying? No way!
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