LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: LETTERS, WE LOVE LETTERS, LOTS AND LOTS OF LETTERS

The Opinion page, the one you are reading right now, is a special place.

It is intended to be a forum for ideas and opinions that represent a community of thought. The editorial at the top of the page represents the opinion of the editorial board, whose members are listed in the box. Columns represent the views of the individual writers, and the Southeast Missourian tries to present columnists who cover a spectrum of political and ideological expression. This column has a specific purpose, which is to communicate with readers about how the newspaper operates.

One facet of the Opinion page is good news/not-so-good news: letters.

Readers of the Southeast Missourian have an outlet for venting their concerns and frustrations through Speak Out, the anonymous call-in forum where there are very few restrictions. Perhaps it is because of Speak Out that we don't get a high volume of letters to the editor. That is the not-so-good news. The good news is that the letters we get tend to be thoughtful, rational and aimed at fulfilling the highest mission of any Opinion page, which is to exchange thoughts and stimulate discourse about matters of some importance.

Because there are so few of them and because they do such a good job of expressing ideas, letters in the Southeast Missourian tend to run long. From time to time letter writers have been encouraged to keep their letters short and to the point, but letter writers are like the rest of us: sometimes you need more than a paragraph to say what you have to say.

I think letters are the backbone of the Opinion page. I would like to see more letters to the editor. And I would like to challenge readers to fill the appetite for sane thinking, competent criticism and strong viewpoints. Sure, you can still call Speak Out and get something off your chest. But writing a letter to the editor rises to a higher level of discourse and becomes a more convincing effort.

Here are five good reasons to become a letter writer:

1. Your thoughts will have greater weight because of the accountability you assume when you sign your name.

2. You will invite and encourage readers who agree and disagree to respond.

3. You will participate in one of the greatest freedoms of our democratic society: the right to hold and express opinions.

4. You will contribute to the uplifting and betterment of the community in which you live.

5. You will discover, through feedback and comments, that your thoughts are worthy of dissemination to be read by those who delight in good thinking and argumentative prose.

There is a sixth reason to write a letter: You will make the editor very happy.

Try it.

~R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian. To comment or make suggestions, please call 335-6611. Thanks.