While our newspaper doesn’t have an “opinion desk,” we welcome letters to the editor from our readers.
Here are some tips and ideas to writing a good letter, as well as our letter writing policies.
Anyone can write a letter to our publication, but we do prefer local readers, and will prioritize their voices over that of those not from the local region in western Washington County and the edges of the counties surrounding us.
Include your name, address, and phone number ( address and phone number will not be published) on issues, news, and items of concern in the community, and please note the headline of the story you’re referencing, if that is the case. Please keep it between 100-350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, spelling, punctuation errors, and space.
The word count of this column is exactly 350 words long, an example of the maximum length your letter to the editor should be.
We do not accept mass letters in most cases; please write a unique letter to our publication.
Letters to the editor are not the place to make wild, unfounded accusations. We can, will, and have rejected letters that claim that, for example, a political opponent eats babies or is a bona fide intelligence agent of another country.
If you have proof that a local elected official does indeed eat infants or is passing information to intelligence agencies of a foreign power, might I recommend contacting our newsroom so that we can investigate? It’s easy to do! Simply email us or call 503-395-8131 and leave a message with your contact information.
As for us, our policy on this newspaper’s opinion remains the same.
We don’t make political endorsements, and we don’t opine on local topics with two exceptions: Legislation that threatens or bolsters access to public records and open government meetings; and topics that represent an existential threat to lives of members of our community.
We believe our community wants to read what we know, not what we think.
As Forrest Gump famously said, “that’s all I have to say about that.”
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
