Hi Friends of Circus Animals,
Please see the messages below and send a NEW email (meaning don't forward this), with Matt's original letter to the editor included (see letter attached), POLITELY asking that they be fair to the animals who have no choices and print the letter that was written on their behalf.
Feel free to blind copy me on your letter and send any responses you receive to me, if you like. If they receive enough requests to be objective and give the animals a voice, perhaps they will listen. It doesn't (shouldn't) matter where you live. News is news and opinion is opinion, right? It didn't matter that the circus people were from out of the area!
Thank you!
Ann
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Begin forwarded message:
From: Matt
Ann,
Can you post this somewhere and get anyone and everyone that you know to e-mail this editor directly so that he will print the letter that I wrote about the circus that occurred in Fort Collins? His DIRECT e-mail is bobmoore@coloradoan.com. A copy of the letter that I sent in is attached. Thanks...
-Matt
>>>> Please START WITH THE BOTTOM EMAIL AND READ UP to see the exchange between Matt and the editor. Also see Matt's letter to the editor which is attached. THANKS! <<<<
Bob, Fine, I'll take care of things myself. With everything stated, the fact is that my letter wasn't published for the specific reason that was mentioned to me. This is even though I spent time and money in your city and was attending an event held within it (so wrote it from the perspective of an "in-towner"). Also, there still exists the issue of super-delayed communication and the possible misstatement about a sent e-mail (which was never addressed). Enough said, have a nice rest of your week. I need to work on getting what I consider to be an important letter out.
-MattFrom: bobmoore@coloradoan.com
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:41:16 -0700
Subject: RE: Online Feedback - Other
We don't publish every letter we receive, because we don't have the space to do so. There's no guarantee for anyone submitting a letter -- whether inside our circulation or not -- that it will be published. That's true for virtually every newspaper I'm familiar with.
Bob________________________________
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 3:40 PM
To: Moore, Bob
Subject: RE: Online Feedback - Other
Mr. Moore,
Thank you for the quick response. It would be great if this (timely responses) was systemic within your organization. In all fairness and regard to professionalism, I think since nothing at all was stated in your paper's Opinions/Letters sections about the "locals only" policy, the right thing would be to print my letter. Also, as a person that greatly values honesty, I ask that you check to see if an e-mail was ever sent my way as was claimed. The ball is in your court, it's you paper to run not mine...
-Matt Heidenfeld
From: bobmoore@coloradoan.com
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:25:52 -0700
Subject: RE: Online Feedback - Other
Matt:
I'm the executive editor and can assure you that Kathleen has correctly outlined our policy. Because space is finite, we generally reserve our letters space to people who are in our circulation area. We'll occasionally make an exception, but it's rare. Having worked for a number of newspapers over the past quarter of a century, my experience has been that this is a pretty common policy.
I apologize if you don't feel that we've communicated effectively with you. We will strive to do better in the future.
Bob Moore________________________________
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 3:22 PM
To: Duff, Kathleen; Moore, Bob
Subject: RE: Online Feedback - Other
Ms. Duff,
I received no such communication from you at all and check my e-mail VERY diligently. I am pretty sure an e-mail on your side could never be retrieved and challenge you to show proof of a sent message to me to someone in a supervisory role (Bob Moore?) in order to prove that one had ever been sent (very easy) and that you are being truthful. I never heard of any newspaper (anywhere) who has a policy such as the one you stated. This is after having had lived and traveled extensively throughout the US as well as abroad (reading plenty of newspapers) and working as a part-time writer for both the Longmont Times-Call and the Farmer and Miner (both in Colorado). Even if this were to be true, it was not stated on your online instructions, which again smacks of unprofessionalism and created a situation where readers (like me) waste their time composing letters according to stated requirements (e.g. - 250 wo rd limit). I would appreciate being provided with contact information for a managing editor to address this. If I do not hear back from you shortly, I will have a friend in Fort Collins send the letter in for me and also make it a point to inform as many others as I can about this ridiculous and non-industry-wide policy that you have stated (possibly within another local publication). I am a school teacher with the next eight weeks off so have time to do this. I hope that there exist other publications in your area that present themselves much better in the area of industry norms as well as customer service.
-Matt HeidenfeldFrom: kathleenduff@coloradoan.com
To: bobmoore@coloradoan.com
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:18:03 -0700
Subject: RE: Online Feedback - OtherDear Mr. Heidenfeld,I apologize for the miscommunication. However, I did respond via email soon after your letter first arrived, explaining that we do not publish letters from outside our general distribution area of Larimer County. Frederick is outside of this area.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Duff,
Coloradoan editorial page editor
>>>> START HERE <<<<
Approximately three weeks ago I sent a letter (meeting all mandated requirements as listed on newspaper website) to Ms. Kathleen Duff with the aim of getting it published in the Opinion/Letters section of your paper. I have written letters to other papers in the past and as a general rule, I usually hear back from them in a week or so in order for them to confirm my identity. After not hearing back for about 1.5 weeks, I left two messages on Ms. Duff's voic e m ailbox which she has failed to respond to (mentioned that I thought things were being handled in an unprofessional manner in last voice message of roughly a week ago). I put effort and time into writing the letter, sending it in and attempting to make contact with your paper. I would appreciate a little professional courtesy be demonstrated by your paper by acknowledging and contacting me in regard to this. Thanks in advance for your time. -Matt Heidenfeld
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