New Albany Tribune letter to the editor policy explained

For yesterday’s caller:

NA Confidential contacted Chris Morris, managing editor of the New Albany Tribune, and asked about the newspaper’s letters-to-the-editor policy.

Chris promptly responded:

“I do not run letters if they are not signed, or if I can not get in touch with the person who wrote the letter. Also, if the letter is going to get us sued, I do not run it. Otherwise, they all run.”

We are in perfect accord with Chris as to the requirement that writers must sign their letters, and that writers provide contact information for the purpose of verification.

Those who remember the excesses of the LaDuke-era Tribune, when anonymity was allowed and cowardice was the rule, know how matters changed for the better when upper management overruled the former editor and the current requirements were instituted.

While we cannot profess to know the standard Chris uses when determining that a letter might prompt legal action against the newspaper, it is widely understood that newspapers are liable to charges of defamation on the basis of stories written by staffers, letters to the editor, and even advertisements.

We hope the preceding helps to clarify the Tribune’s policy. Our best advice is to follow the newspaper’s rules as outlined by Chris … and if the letter isn’t published, we’d like to see it.