A Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper –
As a hopelessly addicted newspaper reader, one of the first sections of any newspaper I turn to is the Letters to the Editor section where more frequently than you may imagine, you can find a letter that – in just a couple of paragraphs – does a better job of pinning the tail on the donkey than a news article half a page long.
As the stench of deception and scandal continues to envelope Canada’s Harper government as the trial over former senator Mike Duffy’s alleged fraud and bribery trial, a letter to the editor ran in The Globe and Mail this past August 18th that pinned that tail right where it belongs.
Here is the letter –
“The [Harper] Conservatives would have us believe that Ray Novak, the current chief of staff in the PMO did not read an e-mail from Nigel Wright, his then-boss and chief of staff in the Prime Minister’s Office, regarding the plan for Mr. Wright to repay Mike Duffy’s expenses. … Hands up everybody who ignores e-mail from their boss.” – Phil Ford, Ottawa.
If I may throw a free plug in here, The Globe and Mail can usually be counted on to publish some great zingers in the letters department. In a coast to coast graveyard of once decent newspapers, The Globe is one of the few good newspapers we have left in Canada. Support it.
And hey, if you come across a short and snappy letter to the editor that hits the nail on the head on an issue of interest and concern to people on both sides of the Greater Niagara Region border, email it to drapers@vaxxine.com and we will see if we can post it on NAL without violating a copyright.
Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary.
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Novak is touring with Harper but is being discretely low key and kept out of sight by the powers that be. On the news last night it showed him basically sneaking onto the tour bus yet retained by Harper as a friend and adviser.
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I believe it is only the Globe and Mail that retains copyright over published letters to the Editor (LTTE) I note now that since The Standard has done away with on-line comments (trolls), they are publishing more letters to the editor than ever, and I have noted that length is usually mentioned(150 words or so pls) but that the once 30-day rule (you can only send in one LTTE per 30 day period) is relaxed and regulars are now sending letters in n every couple of weeks. (e.g. Alex Bradnam)
Don’t know what that all means, just noting it. I write small articles for newsletters in Ontario, and I retain copyright. The exception is the Ontario Genealogical Society quarterly, Families, which retains copyright once an article is published. But that is made very clear in their policy statements. So I say go for it on LTTE’s, especially when you note that the same letter may well appear in several newspapers when sent from Government staff employees in response to any widely published article that appears in PostMedia’s Sun newspapers across the county. Those government employees are not just sending their LTTE to The Standard, but everywhere.
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