We receive criticism and praise aplenty from our readers on a regular basis here at The Times. But those criticisms see a heavy uptick during the political season, as has been the case in recent weeks.
I’d like to first say that we totally understand why that is. People take politics seriously, and that goes double when the politics in question involve your hometown. Folks get passionate about that kind of thing.
However, a few key points need to be clarified concerning our newspaper, its operations and its role in the community.
Put simply, advertisements and letters to the editor should not be confused with editorial content. That’s why both letters and advertisements are clearly designated as such. Political ads even require a disclaimer, letting you know exactly who paid for them.
Neither letters nor ads should be misconstrued as the opinion of The Fountain Hills Times. Our staff is made up of individuals with their own thoughts and opinions, but the paper we produce each week is neutral.
An ad for or against a candidate should not be considered an endorsement or condemnation from this paper. Similarly, while we do our best to edit letters and keep them as fair and factual as possible, they are the thoughts and opinions of your fellow community members. They should never be considered the official opinion of The Times.
But as we have seen in recent ads and letters, politics can get nasty. I wish that wasn’t the case but, again, people are passionate about these things.
So as not to beat around the bush, I’m going to speak directly to an advertisement that ran in this week’s edition of The Times. Quite a few of our readers reached out to let us know that they were displeased with that ad appearing in the paper. The biggest concern was the ads placement, the top of page 1A.
However, that advertising spot has been there for years and, outside of the political season, it’s claimed by many local businesses, clubs, charitable organizations and the like. During the political season, however, it is almost exclusively snapped up by candidates or local PACs to either endorse or oppose local candidates.
It's a prime piece of real estate, to be sure, but we do not pick and choose who runs in that spot. It’s first come, first serve.
But circling back to my original point, no matter where an ad runs in The Times, they do not and have never reflected the beliefs of our staff/paper. Ads are purchased by individuals or groups to voice their chosen message to their fellow readers. Letters are sent in for the same reason.
As for the type of messaging, that is for the person/group who purchases the space, or the person who writes the letter, to decide. It has always been this way.
While we here at The Times absolutely take responsibility for what runs on our pages, advertisements and letters should not be viewed as “the beliefs of the paper.”
Outside of our editorial content, which we strive wholeheartedly to provide without bias, we feel it is important for a newspaper to afford its readers a place to voice their own opinion.
We simply ask that those opinions not be misunderstood as those of The Times.
