Richert: Letters To Editor Online Only?

Every month, I get a tally of how many letters we published in the Statesman. This morning, I got two numbers, reflecting the 325 letters in print, plus 207 election-related letters published online. This grew out of necessity: an 11th-hour influx of election-related letters. But it has me thinking about how we should handle letters in the future. If we made online-only letters a regular feature, this would allow us to give more readers their say. It might also allow us to publish letters in a timelier fashion, another plus. It also gives us a little bit more flexibility for publishing syndicated columns on national and international issues. On the downside, I’m sure many letter writers would much prefer their letter appear in print and online, as opposed to only running online. I know I would. This puts us in the position of having to pick some letters to put in print and some that won’t make print/ Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Would you object if a newspaper posted the letters it receives online only?