The Sentinel welcomes Letters to the Editor that comment on and further the public debate on topics of interest. We appreciate letters are timely, constructive, straightforward, and focused on a single issue. Your letter can share a political opinion, praise fellow members of our community, criticize something the Sentinel published, or thank a helpful stranger.
Letters and opinions on topics of interest should be in good taste. Passion is good. So is humor. We have no problem if you criticize the ideas and arguments of others. Pieces with name-calling are unacceptable and will not considered for publication.
Letters that disagree or agree with our editorial stances are equally valuable for publication. If you are responding to a specific article, letter, or editorial, please include the date of its publication.
Our standard limit for a letter is no more than 250 words. Short and to the point is a hundred times better. On occasion, we make exceptions. However, the chances that we will publish a long, rambling letter are pitafilly low. Letters are subject to editing for fact, grammar, length, clarity, and taste.
The Sentinel strives to publish letters both supporting or opposing a particular issue in a ratio reflecting the response to the number of letters supporting each side that we receive. Should our office receives twice the number of letters supporting a view from one perspective, then we will publish twice the number of letters from that perspective.
We will not publish form letters, third-party letters, open letters, or poetry. Nor will The Sentinel publish unsigned letters or those signed with pseudonyms. Generally speaking, if you can't put your name on it, it likely isn't worth printing.
Your letter must include your address and a daytime phone number. Only your name and city of residence — not your address — will be published. Should we desire to publish your letter, The Sentinel will contact you to verify your authorship before publication. Also, letters submitted to The Sentinel may be published, republished, and distributed in print, electronically, or other mediums.
Send your letter with no attachments to editor@oursentinel.com. Please put "Letter to the Editor" in the subject line of your email.