Editorial: An updated Letters to the Editor guideline

Due to reports of “reader fatigue” when it comes to long letters to the editor — and the frequency with which some writers make submissions to the paper — TimesReview Newsgroup’s editors have decided to tweak the company’s policies for letters to the editor.

The changes are simple: Keep it short and don’t write too often.* We ask those who might be affected by these changes to please keep in mind that they are for the good of the paper and its readership, as well as the letter writers.

Opinion pages that are lively and active get read; pages that are filled with long, cumbersome letters do not.

We are constantly striving to improve the entirety of our newspaper products, and this should help.

Without further ado, here is our new letters policy. The policy will also appear in print each week, instead of only when space allows.

The Suffolk Times LETTERS POLICY

The Suffolk Times welcomes all letters addressed and written exclusively to the editor.

All letters must be signed and include a return address and daytime phone number, which are used for confirmation purposes only. Letters deemed to be libelous will not be published. Letters about personal disputes will be published only when deemed to be of significant community interest.

The newspaper reserves the right to edit all letters for length, grammar, style and clarity.

* Letters should be less than 350 words.

* Individual writers are limited to two letters per month, at the discretion of the editor.

Letters suitable for publication will appear in the next available edition, as space allows.

Please send letters as attached email files to [email protected], mail hard copies to Editor, The Suffolk Times, P.O. Box 1500, Mattituck, NY 11952 or fax them to 631-298-3287.