Over the course of the West Essex Tribune’s 93-year history, letters to the editor have followed a very similar format. They need to be under a certain length (these days, 500 words), and must be attributed to a Livingston resident, who ends the letter by giving their name and address.There are several reasons that we have historically asked those writing to the paper to provide this information with their letters. First and foremost, we want to assure readers that the letters are coming from someone in their community, that these are issues affecting your neighbors, and therefore are well worth your time and attention.Additionally, though, we do not wish to become a mediator between residents; providing a full address allows readers who take issue with the author of a particular letter to contact them about it directly to discuss the matter. In recent years, however, this is mainly wishful thinking on our part. If someone has a problem with a letter, it’s typically the Tribune that gets the call, or a letter in response. And, frankly, in many instances, that is probably how it should be for wide-ranging township issues (noise complaints and property disputes, not so much).For nearly a century, we have felt that these reasons more than warranted our policy of including full names and addresses of letter writers. Unfortunately, times have changed.In recent years, an increasing number of our readers have expressed hesitancy about providing their addresses at the end of their letters to the editor, due to fear of retaliation over what they wrote. While we feel this is important to include for the previously-stated reason, and in most instances these concerns are likely overblown, we do not wish to make anyone feel uncomfortable about publishing letters in the paper.People are, understandably, a little more reluctant to attach their full address to a letter than they once were. Whether it is the advent of social media, or we simply live in a more polarized world than we once did, many individuals are hesitant to put themselves “on display” voluntarily in the form of a letter. As a result, the number of letters that readers have written but ultimately chosen to withhold from publication has risen. We have been quite sorry to see many thought-provoking, timely, and well-written letters end up on the cutting room floor, due to a lack of an address. Letters to the editor ...
