Here at The Dakotan, we are pursuing our desire to become a full-service media organization serving the great state of North Dakota. We want to take the best of all the media worlds and combine them together. We want to take the best of the written word, but without the cost of paper and ink, and without the delay of the printing press and physical delivery. We want to take the best of television video, but without being tied down to a certain time of the day. And we want to take the best of radio without the geographic limitations.
We are planting the seeds in the present to see this vision come to fruition. Part of our vision includes reader participation and community debate. For that reason, The Dakotan now invites your letters to the editor.
Before writing your letter, please read our brief Letters-to-the-Editor Policy on our Letters page. The key points are these: (1) you must identify yourself, (2) we won’t print personal attacks or campaign endorsement letters, and (3) the briefer the better. See the actual policy for more detail.
While writing your letter, please also consider the following statement, which can be found on our About Us page: “The Dakotan seeks to elevate the tone and quality of public discourse and positively influence current and future leaders of North Dakota.” Elevation of tone and quality does not necessarily mean always being “North Dakota nice.” It does mean that if you want your letter to the editor to be published, then you should construct arguments against ideas, not attacks against people.
As Editor-in-Chief of The Dakotan, I believe the old adage, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” In the internet age, that adage has demonstrated itself to be true at even greater orders of magnitude than ever before, both for good and for ill. When you are writing your letter, consider well the impact your words will have as they remain in the ether for all to see.
I look forward to reading your letters!
