Regarding Letters to the Editor, Commentaries and Online Comments

We appreciate hearing from our readers. Thank you to all who have shared your feedback, ideas, suggestions and perspectives.

Our goal is to maintain a civil and productive free exchange of ideas with a variety of points of view. Letters and commentaries help give voice to the community, and we are grateful to those who have taken the time to share their views on issues that are important to our neighborhoods and city.

We produce two newspapers (the Richmond Review and the Sunset Beacon) for San Francisco’s west side. We also publish a website that shares content from both papers, plus items that were not included in the newspapers. While we can’t publish every letter or commentary we receive in the newspapers, chances are good that they will be published online. The website averages 20,000 views per month.

Letters to the Editor

It is very interesting to hear what our readers are thinking on issues, and we welcome letters. We do have a few limitations:

Please limit your letters to one per month;

Please keep word count at 350 or fewer;

Please refrain from name calling, low blows, cheap shots and expletives;

Please offer solutions rather than simply criticizing, and;

Please remember that we are a friendly neighborhood newspaper and website. We strive for objectivity and work to present all sides of an issue. That is why we value letters – no one is prefect and all-seeing. Getting our readers’ points of view is important to us.

Commentaries

We often get feedback about our columnists from readers who question why we run their opinions every month. We try for a balance of opinions. Some are criticized for being “old school’ and “out of touch,” while others are considered “too liberal” and “left wing.” Each one of our regular columnists has supporters and detractors. 

We welcome commentaries from individuals on a case-by-case basis. If you feel one side of an issue is over-represented, or under-represented, we encourage you to help us keep the discussion balanced. 

Commentaries should be 500 words or fewer and be accompanied by a head shot and a tagline letting the reader know who the writer is. Please contact me if you are interested in contributing a commentary. Editor@RichmondSunsetNews.com.

Comments on RichmondSunsetNews.com

Social media has given some people the impression that it is acceptable to be rude and disparaging when commenting on a story or an opinion piece on our website. While Facebook and Twitter cannot monitor every comment, we do. 

We value free speech and want to present all points of view, but we don’t share replies on our website that are rude, offensive or nasty. Again, there is no place for name calling, cheap shots, low blows, cursing or personal attacks. Stick to the truth and the facts and tell our readers what you think. 

I believe we all have good intentions. People with completely opposite views often want the same thing: what they think is best for our society. 

When sharing your thoughts and comments, please come from a place of kindness, compassion and support. How can we make our world a better place?

Michael Durand is the editor and publisher of the Richmond Review and Sunset Beacon newspapers and the RichmondSunsetNews.com website. He can be reached at editor@RichmondSunsetNews.com.