Setting a standard for discourse

Why you won’t see political attack ads in this newspaper

By STU CLAMPITT
Publisher

We can’t say American politics has ever been exceptionally polite, but it used to be a lot less venomous.

It is good to see how many people have filed for office in Hamilton County, which speaks highly of the level of community engagement here. Yes, there are several races with only one candidate on the primary ballot, but there are many contested races.

Today is the last day for candidates to withdraw from the May primary and there are a handful of challenges on the agenda for Monday’s Election Board meeting. Once the ballot is finalized, you will find a full and accurate list of all local candidates in our pages.

Yard signs, billboards, and yes, newspaper ads for this election are about to get common. We are asking you, dear readers, for civil discourse in these pages.

Hamilton County’s Hometown Newspaper will not accept any attack ads in this or future election cycles, and we are broadening that policy to include letters to the editor.

We always encourage readers to have their say in The Reporter. Just keep it civil.

Tell us why you believe someone is the right choice to lead the community. Tell us what your candidate of choice has to offer.

We will not, however, publish letters, ads or columns that focus on what or whom you stand against. We are happy to hear and share what you stand FOR.

If you want to opine, complain or rant about what you stand against, we recommend turning to social media instead of this newspaper.

Contrary to popular belief, a surprising number of young people read this newspaper. We are asking you to lead by example and show the next generation we can have a political discussion without turning it into an argument.

Letters to the editor should be sent to News@ReadTheReporter.com. Please include your name, city of residence and phone number. While we will not publish your phone number or email address, we will use those pieces of information to confirm authorship of your letter.