Quite a few months ago, a regular contributor to the facing page dubbed Peggy Bess “The Queen of Letters.”
As curator of the Opinions section, Peggy ensured that this page was filled with entertaining and edifying columns. But the heavy lifting was taming the mailbag of letters that reach the Leader’s mailbox, email inbox and online portal.
The title fit Peggy well; she has something of a regal quality.
Regular readers of this space may have noted that in 2020, Peggy stepped down from her monarchy into semi-retirement, tossing the crown and scepter to me on the way out, so I suppose I now rule as “The King of Letters.”
Because “regal” is one of many adjectives that have never been used to describe me, I’m guessing that’s why the Leader decided against arranging for my coronation ceremonies to be shown on Zoom.
Fortunately, the Queen Emeritus is still scrutinizing your letters, but it’s fallen to your new king to sort through the weekly submissions, choose which ones get edited and then, finally select those that see print.
While the purple cape may not rest regally on your new king’s shoulders, I do come to the monarchy with some credentials, having seen how an opinions section is run by some of the best in the business – Peggy, of course, as well as Patrick Martin and going way back to Jack Lovelace, who cut his own kingly swath with the old Jefferson County Daily News Democrat. (Yes, it’s true – Jefferson County once had its own daily newspaper!)
Now that your new monarch has had some time as head of state, it might be time to issue a statement to my loyal subjects.
I’m in contact with Queen Peggy, who offers some sage advice when needed, and every so often, King Patrick checks in as well. I appreciate their counsel and I doubt that many people have perceived a change at the top. That’s the best way to transfer authority.
But for those aiming to enter the Kingdom of Letters, it might be constructive to offer a few guidelines.
First and foremost: Be kind. This isn’t social media. Name-calling (of your fellow letter writers, of appointed and elected officials, and everyone else) won’t make it into print. For public officials – be they local, state or national – fair commentary on their job performance is fair game. Personal attacks are not.
Running a close second: This is a kingdom built on truth. There may have been a blurring of the lines between fact and opinions elsewhere in recent years, but we hold steadfast on every page of the Leader to stick to truth. Just like our stories, letters are fact-checked.
Acquaintances have told me that “Facts don’t matter,” and, “I believe my opinions are facts.”
You may be convinced the Earth is flat, and you may be able to supply a link to a website that backs you up, but that doesn’t make it true. Besides, everyone knows if the Earth were indeed flat, cats would have knocked everything off the edges by now.
You’ll note that this section is labeled “Opinions,” and you’re free to express yours. But a productive discussion requires opinions to be based in facts. I’m assuming that’s why you’ve paused to read these pages – to take part in a civil discourse on the issues of the day. And note to the wise: Check multiple sources. The preacher to your choir may have it wrong.
On the subject of not-so-social media, it’s really not so new. Those who remember the days of the Daily News Democrat will likely recall its popular feature Town Talk, a telephone line that was monitored by a tape recorder answering machine.
Someone had to transcribe those anonymous calls and perform the first edit on them. I did my turn in the Town Talk barrel, and I remember fast-forwarding through some regular callers after hearing just a couple of words, certain their rants would be racist, misogynist or otherwise fall short of our standards.
Facebook? Instagram? They have nothing on Town Talk.
Everyone who submits a letter to the Leader must include a phone number, but in a minor policy change, we now also require a street address (no P.O. box numbers) for verification purposes before your letter is placed in the sack that’s brought to the king.
We never publish addresses and phone numbers. However, your king does verify the authors of letters, and I’ve had lively conversations with some of you. I look forward to more.
Speaking of lively conversations, several of you have contacted Leader World Headquarters to criticize the frequency of publication for some letter writers. Interestingly, a couple of callers have complained that a certain right-leaning contributor gets in too often, while a couple of others have asserted that a left-leaning writer “always gets in.”
While your king does tend to favor first-time writers, know this: The subjects of those complaints write us. A lot. Usually every week. So they tend to get in more often. If you don’t want to see them as often, displace them with your own letter.
All in all, I’m happy to be your King of Letters and, as evidence of my intent to be a benevolent monarch, I direct you to the top of this offering. You want some whimsy? How many times do you see a capital “Q” as the first character in a column?
Now, bring on the letters.
