Some needed work on the letters policy

Election Day is one year and four days from today.

We anticipate that The R-C is going to be receiving a few letters as the various elections get closer, and in preparation we’re shoring up the letters policy.

When we shifted back to a Wednesday edition in February 2022, there was still a press in Carson City, so leaving the deadline for letters at noon Monday seemed fairly reasonable. We could still get them read and vetted.

But printing in Oregon has pushed our deadlines to first thing on Tuesday mornings, which leaves us with very little turnaround time to work on the letters, particularly those that arrive on Sunday night.

That’s all a long explanation for why we’re bumping the letters deadline for Wednesday’s edition to 5 p.m. Friday.

Having the weekend gives us time to reserve space for letters. In order to properly work on them, we’re going to be sticklers enforcing the requirement that letters include a street address and phone number. It is too easy to spoof an email address, and while those other things can be spoofed, too, if there’s a real question we can always pick up the phone.

We don’t keep the information, so be sure to include it for each letter’s submission, because we probably won’t track you down.

We’re leaving the 500-word limit for letters, but we’re dropping from two letters per month to one. We haven’t seen that many people taking advantage of them, and that’s a good thing. The Our Take tops out at around 300 words, and we find that’s usually plenty to make our point.

These are some pretty minor changes to a letters policy that has been in effect for around a quarter-century. It has served us well over the years, but like any other organization, we find ourselves adapting to a changing world.