Editorial of February 12, 2026

Your Paper, Your Views, Your New Letters Policy

Four years ago to the issue, we published zero letters to the editor in this paper. In the issue of October 6, 2022—the first under new leadership—there was just one letter. It was written by regular contributor Gerry Welch who, sadly, is no longer with us. From October 6 through February 9, 2023, we ran a total of 63 letters to the editor. During this same time frame in 2025-2026, we have printed 88 letters—an increase of 33 percent. And that’s not counting the letters published solely on our website, AllOtsego.com, for lack of space in the hard-copy paper.

We’re so excited by this statistic. For the last four years, our motto has been “putting the community back into the newspaper,” and the increase in submissions of letters to the editor and opinion pieces continues to grow accordingly. In fact, the interest in becoming part of “The Freeman’s Journal,” “Hometown Oneonta” and AllOtsego.com—in becoming part of the record—is such that we now have new columnists waiting in the wings to get started. What a wonderful problem to have!

These newspapers and our website exist to inform and strengthen our community by publishing accurate, fair and locally relevant news. We prioritize coverage of local government, schools, agriculture, businesses, community events, and the accomplishments and concerns of residents. We do not publish unverified allegations, gratuitous personal attacks or content that promotes hatred or discrimination, although some of our more provocative contributed pieces may be misconstrued as such. Opinions are clearly labeled, and advertising is distinguished from news. When in doubt, we err on the side of respect for individuals’ privacy while fulfilling our responsibility to report matters of legitimate public interest.

Our opinion page—often spilling over to additional pages—is a place for neighbors to discuss issues that matter to our communities, whether as letters to the editor or as guest essays. The latter are most often labeled as “The Partial Observer,” to indicate they are opinion pieces and that the author may have a vested interest in the topic or a strong personal opinion on the subject.

We welcome clearly argued essays on local topics, including town and county government, schools, agriculture, local economy, public services, community life, and on national issues as they impact local residents. We expect opinions to be grounded in accurate, verifiable facts; writers must sign their names and provide contact information for verification. Criticism should focus on local public issues, policies, and actions, not on private lives or personal traits. We may edit for clarity, length, and legal concerns, and we reserve the right not to publish any submission.

We do not pay for guest essays, though we do have some regular paid columnists. “Advertorials,” in which the writer pays us to publish what is presented to look like news or an essay, will not be accepted without clear identification as sponsored content. The preferred length for guest essays is 700 words.

For the last four years, our motto has been “putting the community back into the newspaper,” and the increase in submissions of letters to the editor and opinion pieces continues to grow accordingly.

Letters to the editor should follow our overall guideline of serving a local readership with local news. Blatantly offensive, hateful or discriminatory language or content will not be printed. We require the writer’s full name, street address, and phone or e-mail contact information. Anonymous or pseudonymous letters will not be accepted (although the editor may withhold a name in special circumstances). Word count must not exceed 300 words, a change from the 250 suggested word limit, but now hard and fast. The editor reserves the right to limit each writer to one letter per month in the hard-copy paper, though additional letters may be posted online as the editor sees fit.

We also have space for columns that are personal observations concerning rural life, highlight the achievements or the foibles of local people, provide insights based upon local history, and otherwise enrich our readers or educate them on the differing perspectives in today’s society. It is important to note that the views expressed by contributors are their own and not necessarily the view of AllOtsego and its affiliates.

Yes, we are making some changes to our letters policy, and we are ramping up our opinion pieces in order to give voice to you, our readers, and also to challenge your views in the hopes that you will consider rather than condemn the opinions and viewpoint of those with whom you may not agree, because we firmly believe in finding the common ground. So, in the spirit of putting the community back into the newspaper—write on, if just a bit more succinctly, moving forward.