5 days Ago
Whenever I hear a criticism that the Tulsa World leans one way or another when it comes to the letters to the editor we publish, I have a good come back. We can’t publish a letter we don’t receive. Traditionally, letters to the editor give readers a chance to put their opinions in front of me and the Tulsa World audience, complete with their real names.
Editorials Editor Ginnie Graham works each week to compile the letters from two main sources: our online form at go.tulsaworld.com/submitletter and the post office.
Yes, we still get hand-written letters each week from some of our most loyal subscribers. Ginnie types them in. Most are written on notebook paper and are amazing accomplishments in something kids don’t do much anymore — write in cursive.
Bettie Robertson wrote us that at 82, she’s been a subscriber for more than 50 years. She very nicely wrote in cursive to me that “Maybe you can re-think some of your ideas. Thank you for your attention.
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We all do in the newsroom. Every chance we get, we like to say we encourage letters. Bettie is right.
We don’t have everything figured out. It took me some time, but I got back to each of you who reached out about the recent changes to the comics and puzzles. We got so much pushback about the Jumble puzzle being taken out that we put it back.
Like I told each person who wrote me: We heard you because we are happy to listen. It is true that we don’t get as many letters as we used to. For decades, we would print them every day.
In 2022, we published more than a thousand. In 2023, it was down to 466. So far this year, we have more than that by a little, thanks to an election year.
But if we receive more, we will publish more. While I write this to you, I can’t stop thinking about one of my dear relatives who threatened me for years that she was going to write a letter to the editor. She would call me and tell me what had her fired up, and, “This time, Jason, I’m really doing it.
” She never did. Sadly, she passed before she saw any of those opinions see print. My hope is that all of our readers remember that your opinion matters.
And it still means something in our society to put your name next to your thoughts. No matter what it is. And don’t forget, they don’t all have to be political.
For this community to have the kinds of discussions that lead to progress, I encourage you to submit a letter. You never know. You just might find like-minded people who care about Tulsa like you do and want to join your movement.
To submit a letter online, go to go.tulsaworld.com/submitletter .
If you want to show me your cursive, write one out and send it to Tulsa World, 315 S. Boulder Ave., Tulsa, OK 74103.
Our guidelines are meant to keep letters civil and brief. Letters are just 250 words or less. We edit for grammar, spelling, punctuation, style and length.
We do not edit opinions. Thank you to all the letter writers over the years who have helped me learn something or understand an issue more deeply and, like Bettie wrote, push me to re-think some things..
