Commentary by the Gazette editor or group:

Gazette commentary
    

Commentary by others:

On our wavelength — an index with links to opinion pieces we like or admire. 

If you have a written piece that you would like us to post, please send it to us.
   

General links:

The Tribune (a newspaper based in Ames)

The Register (a newspaper based in Des Moines)
  

Guidelines for letters to the editor:

Persons who wish to respond to the opinion pieces on this site or who desire to express themselves on other topics and have their thoughts published on the site may email them to us.

All letters must adhere to the terms of service of this web site which means good taste is in order even when you are writing a challenging letter. We will assume that all writers are age 18 or older unless you specify that your age is younger than that. For younger writers, we may need to develop additional guidelines. 

We would prefer you submit your letter in the body of an e-mail and ask that you type "letter to the editor" on the subject line of your letter. Attachments are too cumbersome if your word-processing software is different than ours. And besides, opening attachments is risky business in this age of computer viruses. 

If you are limited to writing your thoughts by hand, please have a family member, friend, or neighbor type them and send them via e-mail for you. We DO NOT accept faxes.

You must include your name (a real one, not a cyber handle), street address, and phone number. This is for security reasons. We will probably post most or all letters, but before doing so, will usually send an e-mail or make a phone call to confirm that the letter is actually from you. We will not use the information about you for any other purpose than the work of the Gilbert Gazette.

Since Gilbert has neither its own newspaper nor radio station, and since it is somewhat of a bedroom community with no common cafe for mixing it up at lunch time and talking about the life of the community, we felt the need to provide a venue for public discourse. The main purpose is to benefit the well-being of Gilbert and the nearby community through dialog.

In the spirit of dialog, we would like letters to the editor or submitted columns to provide an indication that the writer has listened to opposing viewpoints (if there have been contrary letters on the same topic). We also ask that people refrain from vilifying persons with opposing views. It is one thing to be candid, and we will accept your candor because we feel a combination of glossy and challenging commentary is healthy. It is another thing, however, to be hateful and mean-spirited. We will try to avoid the latter in our own writing and not publish material you send if it is inconsistent with the spirit of dialog. 

For the most part, we will publish letters that we receive in their entirety. However, we may do some editing, either to correct grammatical and other errors or to cut out mean-spirited sentences or ones that may be libelous or slanderous. However, we will let you maintain the responsibility for your errors and what you say. In most instances where we would choose to edit a letter, we would contact you to confirm that the changes are OK.

The advantage of cyber letters to the editor is that brevity is not as essential as it would be for a printed newspaper. However, it is wise to organize your thoughts and write a couple drafts in which you refine the piece.

Sometimes we will be able post your letter on-line within hours of confirming receipt of it. Other times, we may be involved in other projects or on vacation and will take a week or two to publish your thoughts.

We will not publish what appear to be orchestrated attempts to bombard us with mail on a particular topic. Nor will we post form letters or anonymous pieces. Remember, you must include your name, street address, and phone number.

Remember, this web site is an experiment and will need assistance over time to make it a success. If you want to be part of the Gilbert Gazette Team, please let us know. Thanks and may you have a good time writing.