Voicing

Some of you know that I am the Managing Editor for the local Warrenville, Illinois newspaper, Village Chronicles. On a recent occasion I wrote a column for the paper that I borrowed from this blog; I changed very little, just enough to make it a local piece.

I received a letter to the editor that complained about my column, in error calling it an editorial, and claiming our editorial policy printed in the paper was abridged by the editorial.

To clarify, the column was an opinion piece and clearing labeled as such. I do write editorials for the paper but not exclusively. And the policy the letter writer cited was in actuality the paper’s Letter to the Editor policy, not the editorial policy.

So the letter writer was wrong on several points. But thinking about his stance, I was puzzled at what set him off. The only line in the column that was a clear opinion was my concern about this: “We think down on immigrants; almost as though all immigrants are illegal;...” We do have a growing Hispanic population in town and that is good. But there are those who choose to see all Hispanics as a symbol of open borders, bilingualism and whatever else they imagine as negative.

I didn’t see what upset this person so much and I told him so in a return email, but he then claimed I was condescending. Well I certainly hadn’t intended that so I began to wonder. Normally my writing for the newspaper is calm, reasoned and focused on the community. I don’t pick fights, and I steer clear of language that would inflame. I want the readers to understand the words and their intended meaning. That takes care on my part.

In my blog I write with more passion and point of view; it is a process I use to improve my understanding and articulation of complex issues. Using the blog posting as a column in the newspaper may have confused the usual reader by the “voice” I use in the two media. The temper and tone is different. They are different in order to communicate with two different types of audience. Interesting?

If the letter writer and I could talk calmly about this I think that it is the ‘voice’ discrepancy that caused him to react. He is so upset, however, I doubt we will be able to connect logically.

If I’m right about the voice theory, I’ll have to take greater care in addressing the two audiences. Whatever, it was an interesting lesson to learn and I’ll heed it.

January 9, 2012