Problem? Let us know; Letter? Keep it short
We always want readers to call or write us if they have a question or concern about their newspaper.
That’s always better than A) assuming the worst, B) believing a rumor, or C) not caring enough to inquire.
Even in this era of rabid consumerism, we know not every reader is willing to complain (or compliment).
But we appreciate those who do.
FOR EXAMPLE, a few months ago we confused some people with one of our “skybox” items.
Skyboxes are the two (sometimes three) “teasers” above the newspaper’s nameplate on Page 1. They are intended to help readers more easily find interesting or important information inside the paper.
One day, we had a skybox item that said, “Patients skipping doctor visits to save cash.” Because, research tells us, those items are much better read if accompanied by an art element (a photo, a logo, etc.), that particular item used a graphic of the word “canceled” – in red – to look like a rubber stamp.
We intended readers to put the words “canceled” and “doctor visits” together to help illustrate the point of the story.
But more than a few readers thought that “canceled” stamp, which appeared in the upper left corner of the front page, meant that we had canceled their subscription to the newspaper. We tried to allay the fears of those several subscribers who called.
We’re glad they called.
ONE READER who buys the newspaper at a local drug store wrote recently with this question:
“I have noticed over the last several months that [Saturday/Sunday fliers] are not in the paper. First K-Mart disappeared, then Walgreens and now Shop-Ko. How come? A [store] employee told me it was a decision made by the [newspaper], not them.”
In fact, the edition she asked about did include those advertising inserts for Kmart, Walgreens and Shop-Ko – at least, they were part of our home-delivered edition.
But they were not included in all papers sold by single copy in stores and vending boxes. And that is not our decision.
Advertisers provide us with those inserts, but they don’t always give us enough for every paper we sell. It has been the advertisers’ preference that we deliver them to all subscribers first, and then put the remaining pre-prints in as many single-copy papers as we can.
The reasoning is that a subscriber’s family is likely to use more of the newspaper as it sits round the house for a day or two. The single-copy sale could be a purchase by someone who picks up the paper just to check out the jobs in the classified ads section, or the customer might be interested in only the high school sports coverage.
Still, just about everyone is a sucker for a great sale, so we encourage advertisers to allow us to put their ads in front of as many readers as possible.
If we have enough fliers, we will insert them into every paper.
That helps everybody. And that’s how we make money.
SPEAKING OF those inserts ...
About 4 weeks out of the year – usually around holiday weekends – we are not given coupon booklets to insert.
That, too, is not our decision.
But during each of those weekends, we get several phone calls from readers who wonder what we’ve done with their coupons.
Our answer is the same: We’re just following orders.
Those money-saving clip-outs are like money to you – and us, since we get paid to distribute them. Win-win.
Rest assured that if we get them, you’ll get them.
At least, if you’re a subscriber.
If you’re not, we can fix that. To subscribe, call 815-284-2224.
TO ALLOW MORE voices on our Opinion page, we are cutting the maximum word length of letters to the editor.
The Reader’s Voice now allows letters of up to 400 words. Starting Jan. 1, that limit will be 300 words.
You can say a lot in 300 words. In fact, some writers tend to write to the maximum length rather than stop when they’ve made their point after 100 or 200 words.
Because we operate under the rules of a free press, we reserve the right not to publish some letters, and to edit for length and content those that we do print.
Some writers seem to think they are entitled to write up to 400 words and have us publish up to 12 of their letters each calendar year. Those are the maximums we set.
So this bit of news will come as a surprise to them: We print letters for the benefit of our readers, not the writers.
We have to make decisions daily about the best use of the limited space we have in the printed newspaper.
And research shows that in most subject areas, readers want more variety and quantity, not more length.
For now, 300 words sounds about right. But here’s a tip:
If you can say it in 200 words, more people will read it.
If you can say it in 100 words, almost everybody will read it.
Funny how that works.
THOSE OF YOU who want to write a letter on behalf of a favored political candidate will need an even bigger eraser.
Election letters are limited to 250 words.
We hope to facilitate – in print and online – an informed debate about the candidates and issues involved with the Feb. 2 primary election and the Nov. 2 general election. Important state and local offices are on the ballot in 2010.
Each candidate in selected contested races will be given the opportunity to campaign through a 500-word essay that we will publish in the weeks before each election, when voters really start to get interested in voting.
As always, you’re invited to respond with a letter of your own – within the word limit in print, or with no word limit online.
But let us repeat that earlier tip: The more you write, the fewer will read.
THAT’S FUNNY, you might think, coming from an editor who writes a column of up to 1,000 words 52 times a year.
Fair point. That’s why the column is segmented, with no section longer than about 250 words.
This column also tackles three or four topics most weeks.
Is that enough rationalization for you?
It will have to do.
