“Letters to the editor have a word limit?”

That’s a question I’ve received at least once a week since 2016 got underway, so I figure it’s time for a quick refresher on some of our policies and procedures, just to make sure everyone is on the same page.

For starters, yes, there is a word limit for letters to the editor, and it’s exactly 300 words. You’d be surprised how many letters come in well over that limit, but I guess some folks just have an awful lot to say about things like the lights in Fountain Park, the recent decision of one governmental body or another, or how much they enjoyed a particular local event.

We encourage everyone to speak their piece, of course…so long as their piece comes in at no more than 300 words. We’ll cut a couple out if you inch over the line but, beyond that, we have to hit the “return to sender” button for more drastic trimming.

We’ve also received quite a bit of feedback lately about the negativity people are seeing in the letters section. While some of those concerns have been voiced in this very section, I’d say an equal number have been sent my way as a sort of “what gives?” comment not meant for publication.

Unfortunately, not all news is good news and sometimes we need to vent our frustrations with the world, and the letters to the editor section is a place where that can happen in a public setting.

But at the same time, maybe we all need a reminder that, yes, this is a public setting.

I’m sure many of us were raised being told that, if you can’t say something nice, you shouldn’t say anything at all. Sadly, that’s not how the real world works. Sometimes the negative things in this world need to be brought to light.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve that goal with class and respect. While the doctrine mentioned above may not always apply to a letters section, this one does: Don’t say anything you wouldn’t say to someone’s face.

Disagreeing with someone’s opinion, a recent council action or a new policy is fine, but let’s try to keep personal attacks out of the equation, please.

Finally, a couple notes on submitting letters.

For starters, you can submit a letter to the editor either on our website at fhtimes.com, or you can send them directly to me at ryan@fhtimes.com. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but we’re still getting letters sent to the wrong addresses and I figured it might be worth reiterating.

Also, if you could please include either “Letter” or “Letter to the Editor” in the subject line, that would be a huge help in making sure I catch site of your submission amidst the literally hundreds of emails I plow through on a daily basis.

Your letter is important to us, and we want to make sure it runs in a timely fashion. Getting them to the right location and flagging them appropriately will help make sure that happens.

I think that about does it for our refresher course. Thanks, as always, for your time and attention. Now, let’s see what you folks wanted to talk about this week…