# 'Letters to the Editor' legal issues **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 24, 2006, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657 "2006-10-24T01:03:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/1 "2006-10-24T01:03:03Z")
So one of my editors has, to my mind, gone mad and is insisting that newspapers are legally REQUIRED to print all letters to the editor submitted. I contend that’s silly but have no cites. Anyone got any cites? I quoted the policies of the Washington Post, which I mostly know, but she’s insisting the rules are different for Ohio. What’s the verdict? Crazed or cool? ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/2 "2006-10-24T01:07:59Z")
Somebody else will have to weigh in with a legal opinion, but this is crazy. Any large city newspaper would have to devote their entire issue to nothing else but letters were this a requirement. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/3 "2006-10-24T01:10:36Z")
[QUOTE=Jonathan Chance] So one of my editors has, to my mind, gone mad and is insisting that newspapers are legally REQUIRED to print all letters to the editor submitted. [/QUOTE] Including the defamatory ones? Sounds absurd to me. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/4 "2006-10-24T01:11:29Z")
Newspapers and magazines never publish more than a tenth (if that) of the letters to the editors that they receive. Your editor is indeed cracked. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/5 "2006-10-24T01:29:51Z")
Total nutjob. You might want to review your hiring practices. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/6 "2006-10-24T01:31:46Z")
Crazed. I didn’t go to j-school in Ohio, but I’m sure I would have heard it somehow. Every newspaper I’ve ever heard offers guidelines for its letters, the implication being ‘if you don’t meet them, we won’t print your letter.’ Those wouldn’t make sense if they had no choice in the matter. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/7 "2006-10-24T01:32:54Z")
[QUOTE=Jonathan Chance] So one of my editors has, to my mind, gone mad and is insisting that newspapers are legally REQUIRED to print all letters to the editor submitted. I contend that’s silly but have no cites. Anyone got any cites? I quoted the policies of the Washington Post, which I mostly know, but she’s insisting the rules are different for Ohio. What’s the verdict? Crazed or cool? [/QUOTE] Crazed. What if you didn’t have enough pages? Unless things are very very different for Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/8 "2006-10-24T01:48:29Z")
Insane. ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/9 "2006-10-24T01:50:37Z")
By the way, I have the same number of cites for this as I do for my denial that all giraffes in Chicago must be named Fred. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/10 "2006-10-24T01:53:30Z")
Since Ms. Editor made the claim, tell her she should be able to point to some authority to back her up. She’s a journalist, after all. You shouldn’t be the one having to prove a negative. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/11 "2006-10-24T02:15:01Z")
No. That’s why papers can be held responsible for defamation in letters to the editor (because they have the option to decline them). ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/12 "2006-10-24T02:16:38Z")
Did a nationally known magazine for 10 years: Nope, no journalistic requirement to publish every letter to the Editor.(yep, that might be Crazymaking) You just sort out the best/most pertinent ones. To be generous, maybe she’s whupped up on including all in the scope of response, with a daily newspaper, not a bad impulse, really, if she’s wanting to include all points of view. But, the art of editing is to discern the worthwhile from the sheer crap of chaff, in the long line of addressing many points. Is there a space limitation on the letters page? That dictates the editing. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/13 "2006-10-24T02:20:05Z")
Wouldn’t such a state law requiring newspapers to print these letters be overturned by First Amendment guarantees of freedom of the press? ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/14 "2006-10-24T02:32:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Letters to the editor > Letters to the editor must relate to a topic that was published in Ohio Lawyer and are published on a space-available basis. > > Letters should not exceed 250 words and are subject to editing for length. > > Letters should address topics in Ohio Lawyer; they should not be personal attacks on others. > > Ohio Lawyer does not publish letters that endorse political candidates. > > Ohio Lawyer does not publish letters that are defamatory and/or in poor taste. > > All letters are subject to the approval of the Ohio Lawyer Board of Editors. > > Editor may limit the number of letters published on a single topic and may choose letters that provide different perspectives. [404 Page](http://www.ohiobar.org/pubs/index.asp?articleid=596) > [@](#): > > Will not publish letter that they > feel are inflammatory or libelous. > **[newspapers.pdf](https://ohiocp.org/newspapers.pdf)** > > 114 B > [@](#): > > Very > rarely use letters outside circulation area. No writer’s work appears more than once a month. > Letters endorsing a specific political candidate are not used. Value is placed on letters that > would be of general interest to the readers and that make their point as succinctly as possible. \*Id. \* > [@](#): > > Keep in mind that editors are not required to print your letter, but usually they feel responsible for equitably and accurately depicting all sides of an issue. > **[Supporter FAQ](https://earthjustice.org/action/faq?triedCookie=true)** > > Find resources on using Earthjustice's online advocacy and donation forms, how to subscribe and unsubscribe, and more. > [@](#): > > Newspapers get many letters every day and can’t print all of them. Most papers won’t print the same writers over and over again. [Home Page - Community Catalyst](http://www.communitycatalyst.org/index.php?base_id=767) > [@](#): > > The decision to print any submission is completely at the discretion of the Nevada Appeal editor. [http://apps.nevadaappeal.com/forms/letter/index.php](http://apps.nevadaappeal.com/forms/letter/index.php) > [@](#): > > Not all letters are published in The State Journal-Register due to space limitations. [http://www.sj-r.com/forms/letters.asp](http://www.sj-r.com/forms/letters.asp) > [@](#): > > Anonymous letters will not be printed. [http://apps.sierrasun.com/forms/letter/index.php](http://apps.sierrasun.com/forms/letter/index.php) Didn’t find any state laws on point, but then, I didn’t look that hard because I doubt they exist. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/15 "2006-10-24T02:57:31Z")
I say, bring it on! I can’t wait to see how many of the longwinded rambly guys start sending in a letter every single day. My paper has a one-letter-a-month policy for each writer, other restrictions, and doesn’t publish everything I send them even when I stick to one a month. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/16 "2006-10-24T03:25:48Z")
Try [this](http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment01/): “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . . .” (Technically applicable to the states through the 14th Amendment). It’s an oldie but a goodie. You might also refer to [Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Torinello](http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=case&court=us&vol=418&invol=241), 418 U.S. 241 (1974), in which the Supreme Court invalidated a Florida “right of reply” law permitting political candidates equal space in a newspaper to answer criticism. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/17 "2006-10-24T04:56:23Z")
I can show this doesn’t work in the UK. I’ve written 3 letters to the Guardian, and they only published one. (They acknowledged the other two.) This sort of weird claim nakes me nervous about having to provide cites. :eek: I am scared that anyone in publishing could believe such a thing. Could you check she’s not joking, or that you didn’t misunderstand? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/18 "2006-10-24T10:48:16Z")
No, I think she’s just being a crazy-lady. She WANTS to run them all and I’m preventing it. She’s grasping as straws to try to control the debate. But I figured I might have missed something so I figured I’d toss it out here just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/19 "2006-10-24T11:32:22Z")
Print out the _Miami Herald_ case and give it to her. People who “know” some obscure law that supports their unreasonable position rarely know what to do with and actual Supreme Court case. Although that case does not technically deal with a letter to the editor, but rather with a political candidate seeking space to respond to an editorial, the concept and the reasoning are the same. I’m sure that there is a lower court case out there where somebody has sued to get their letter to the editor published and been shot down. Let me know if you want me to search for such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657/20 "2006-10-24T12:31:48Z")
The prestigious newspapers (such as the New York Times) probably get more than a hundred letters for every letter they print. On the other hand, the average suburban newpaper probably does publish most of the letters it gets, though even they will select out some stuff. But if a newspaper had to print everything it received, a malicious perrson could easily bankrupt most newspapers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/letters-to-the-editor-legal-issues/377657.md?page=2)