TUESDAY AM BUZZ: Feedback from readers not dead in Waxahachie

The Voice of the Reader section of the opinion page
in a recent edition of the Waxahachie, Texas, Daily Light.

Another takeaway from my site visit to the Waxahachie, Texas, Daily Light last week that was extremely positive was the number of letters to the editor the newspaper receives and publishes, not just on a weekly basis, but on a near daily basis.

In my discussion with the newsroom staff, editor Neal White said the fact that the newspaper's policy is that it will print all letters to the editor on varying political views — as long as there are no statement of slander or libel and they are signed by the author with a phone number given for vertification — has fostered a forum of open discussion on the Opinion page of the newspaper.

Also, the section of the newspaper that publishes the letters is not called, "Letters to the Editor," it is called "Voice of the Reader."

In an earlier post on this blog, I talked about how the term, "letters to the editor," may be dated in today's world. First, not many of us write traditional "letters" these days, and also many readers are not aware of who the editor at the newspaper is, especially if there has been some turnover in that position.

That's why I love how the Waxahachie Daily Light has its reader correspondence published in the "Voice of the Reader." Another names for the feedback section could be, "Reader Feedback," "Inbox," "Your Views," "Sound Off," and many more.

Daily Light editor Neal White said the newspaper publishes at least one letter from a reader nearly every day, and sometimes multiple letters per day. He said the newspaper's crop of political-themed columns help spur feedback from readers.

What is going on in Waxahachie is a great example of how a newspaper's openness with its community can help foster increased interaction with its readers in the pages of the product.

Well done Daily Light staff!