Diane Lewis: Time for a change in The Daily Sun's letters policy

To The Daily Sun,

Concord's current population is 44,910; Laconia's is 17,314; approximately 2.64 times larger.

According to several sources, New Hampshire's voter breakdown is undeclared, 39%; Republican, 33%; Democrat, 28%.

Comparing two newspapers which I read daily, focusing on the letters to the editor, The Concord Monitor's letters are overwhelmingly anti-Trump, while, in my opinion, there are more pro-Trump letters in The Laconia Sun. How can that be? What are the differences, as writers are local, as well as from neighboring towns.

The Monitor has a clear, well-written policy which states: "Submissions that have blatantly false information will be rejected. Writers are encouraged to challenge ideas, but personal attacks are not allowed. The editors reserve the right to refuse content that doesn't meet our values of civil debate."

In an article titled "Case Study: Laconia Daily Sun" (solutionsjournalism.org) the editor, Julie Hirshan Hart, indicated that in 2020 the letters policy required "tighter, more focused letters, limiting the frequency, turning the focus to local topics, soliciting new local voices." Really?

The majority of writers are a handful of folks, who often attack others, on paper, who have rambling, unfocused "letters," and whose regular, ongoing topic is misinformation and blind devotion to a certain American dictator wanna-be who lives in the White House, and plays expensive golf in Florida, at taxpayers' expense.

Is it necessary to hear such cult-like devotion and misinformation weekly? Where is the balance with "local issues?" There is none. It's time to evaluate an objective letters policy that reflects verifiable truths, rather than opinions which mirrors OAN, Laura Loomer or Fox News.

Other readers have occasionally mentioned their disappointment with The Sun's lack of a meaningful policy. It's time for a change.

Diane Lewis

Laconia