Homestead Publishing Company, parent of the Aegis and Record newspapers, announced Friday morning that, in order to save ink, letters to the editor would be arbitrarily truncated – particularly if those letters make mention of a certain local news and commentary website peopled largely by ex-Homesteaders.
In order to save costs at the printing press, The Aegis today cut a few words from a letter to the editor written by former legislative aide and former District C county council candidate Brian Young. The (almost) same letter was published here February 19.
Here’s the closing paragraph from Young’s letter, as posted on The Dagger:
Harford County is home to a well-educated, highly involved, and caring community. The citizenry is fully capable of understanding what it means to have the right to vote, and to exercise that right appropriately. There are frequent community discussions on issues such as this, as is evidenced by the articles and discussion over your bill on the news outlet www.daggerpress.com. The people of Harford County oppose oligarchies and support elections—the citizens of Harford desire an elected school board.
And, here’s how it ran today in The Aegis:
Harford County is home to a well-educated, highly involved, and caring community. The citizenry is fully capable of understanding what it means to have the right to vote and to exercise that right appropriately.
The people of Harford County oppose oligarchies and support elections — the citizens of Harford desire an elected school board.
“They took out a sentence of my letter, without discussing it with me,” Young wrote in an email today. “This is despite my cover letter which said: ‘If there are any questions or concerns with this, I would appreciate your contacting me prior to publication.’”
In related news, in order that we might combat global warming and lessen our carbon footprint, The Dagger– since we’re not hampered by fluctuations in the bitchy world ink market – will be heretofore redacting the use of vowels. Dggr Spksmn Brn Gdmn sd tht h hps ths wll dbl rdrshp, brngng th ttl t 13.
Did you really expect much more from the powers to be at the Aegis? You have taken away their power as the only source for news as “they see/report it.”
Hopefully this just strenghtens the dagger’s resolve to carry on and provide a forum for those of us who choose to be informed via many media venues not just the close minded views of the editoral staff at the Aegis/Record and debate the issues.
By the way, where was their article asking why our delegation is not listening to its constituents and coming together to support an elected school board instead of appearing like morans and being told to get their act together by the House Ways and Means Committee.
I know, they spent too much time trying to decide whether or not to leave in Brian Young’s sentence mentioning the dagger.
I think the conservation of ink at The Aegis is a little too little too late. Most of it ended up on my fingers years ago when you couldn’t turn the pages without smearing it everywhere. If they had dealt with the problem then, they wouldn’t be facing this situation now! Keep up the good work, you guys are Harford County’s place to get the straight dope. Now if you could just get Bel Air’s Terry Hanley to cut back on his appearances on The Ed Norris Show and put in some commentary here….
well at least I know the reason’ the aegis refuse’s to print my comment’s first of all they did’nt want to waste there ink.
the dagger has never refused to accept any of my comment’s.
What a surprise. While I’ve seen a majority of letters to the editor of particular interest to me and mine printed…there have been many that are passed over.
Doesn’t matter if it was submitted with proof backing up the allegation…you’ll hear from a certain editor who has a nexus to the ex-mayor, who a nexus to the chief of police…”there’s no story here!”
Just thought I’d share.
Mommie Dearest – I’d be happy if Bel Air’s Terry Hanley would cut back on his use of “That’s what the people want”. Nobody has ever asked me if I want things such as a $500,000 expansion of Rockfield Manor for weddings and parties, or the fountain moved to the center of the street, or a rehabbed 1960’s town hall instead of a new, useable one. (Yes, I know I’m probably in the minority, but I would pay extra for a two or three story town hall built next to the present one with rooms for community meetings and exhibit space, which ties in to my opposition to a multimillion dollar Center for the Arts in Bel Air. But, no one has ever asked me about that, either.)
Par for the course. And petty.
An artical about HdG marina issues that was (to my understanding via aegis staff) immenent suddenly got the cold shoulder when a principal in that matter started participating in this very venue. I guess participating in this affected that issue.
Or is this a turf war at the citizens expanse.
Ignore The Aegis, boys! Most of the county already does. They are the past of journalism and you are the future. Keep up the good work and enjoy the knowledge that you are helping to educate the community and provide a location for idea exchange.
szq says it all…shot and sweet.
Maybe they were just doing the citizens a favor? I mean, what good is have a web address in the printed paper? It’s not like you can click it.
That’s just crazy talk.
That would be almost as crazy as charging our current subscribers $15 extra dollars to read the same paper that gets delivered in .pdf version online. Oh wait….
You crazy fellers with yer fancy interweb…
HL Menken is doing a Triple Lindy in his grave…
Papers and magazines will always print only what they wish when it comes to letters, opinion pieces and the like. They are about business in the end. Still, I hesitate to call The Aegis a paper. That’s a stretch! A paper has reporters who actually seek to report all sides of an issue.
I think i stopped getting the Aegis in 1999. Too many poorly written stories that I could care less about.
It’s funny that they have started “saving ink” for the articles they print… I guess I have been saving them alot of ink as well over the past few years.
I think someone needs to send me a Thank You card or something.