Getting Your Letter Published

If we were honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that it is a thrill to see our names emblazoned in some publication, any publication - at the beginning! We feign modesty, but we are very happy when a friend tells us how much she/he enjoyed reading that letter in the City Chronicle.

But how to secure such short lived fame and recognition, and how to discuss a burning issue, when the vast majority of what people write ends up in the office trash basket. Why? Because, we are told, the letter editors of all papers are overwhelmed by the huge number of offerings, and they have to be very selective, and so only la creme de la creme would make it to print.

Then there is the issue of bias of the editorial team of each paper. They will tell you that there is no such thing! And if you believe it, then perhaps you should re-examine how you came to that gullible conclusion. Most of us have heard the joke about one man saying "Isn't the freedom of the press, in the west, a wonderful thing?" and his friend replying "Indeed it is .... for those who own the press!"

That is why I am delighted to see a whole smartly designed website dedicated to publishing many or most of those worthy, provocative and courageous letters, that can never see the light of day under our current system of press ownership. On my own website, www.dialoguewithdiversity.com I would often publish letters that have been turned down by the local press, to the gratitude of the authors, marking them as such; letters that clearly deserve to reach Canadians at large.

Congratulations to your team.