Letters to the Editor are always printed on the “Viewpoints” page, which is our publication’s section for opinion pieces.
That’s because Letters to the Editor are written from only one person’s point of view.
They are not to be confused with news articles, which appear elsewhere in the newspaper.
News articles are written by members of the newspaper staff, and they represent facts that have either been observed, or verified, by a source or an official document.
Letters to the Editor, on the other hand, are written by readers to express concern about an issue in the community.
Often, they take the form of a complaint; but, on occasion, they are also used to express gratitude for the actions of a citizen or organization.
Sometimes, these letters are written in response to a previous newspaper article or a Letter to the Editor written by someone else.
The Freestone County Times publishes these Letters because we believe one of the most important jobs of a newspaper is to give their readers a voice.
We always publish the name of the person writing the Letter, along with their hometown. This is so readers will know whether the opinion belongs to a neighbor or someone visiting from out of town.
Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.
Periodically, The “Times” will publish an editorial (like this one) from either our Editor or Publisher. These will also be found on the “Viewpoints” page as they, too, are considered an opinion piece.
Another kind of writing that often appears on the “Viewpoints” page is a column. These are written on a regular basis and usually revolve around a topic of interest to the author.
The “Times” has published columns about finances, politics, health, the outdoors and more.
Lastly, at the top of the “Viewpoints” page will be political cartoons by Gary Varvel, one of our publisher’s favorite cartoonists.
We trust this will assist readers in separating factual news from opinions that appear in the pages of this newspaper.
