The page you are reading is called the opinion page, but maybe that’s not the best name for it.

Monday, December 17, 2001

The page you are reading is called the opinion page, but maybe that’s not the best name for it. The way things have been lately, maybe we should call it Party Line in Print.

You all know Party Line, of course – the show where anybody can call in and say whatever they want about anything, without identifying themselves or saying where they got their information.

Sure, most of the time it’s an innocent trading show. People get rhubarb recipes and ask if anybody is selling an old wheelbarrow. Nothing wrong with that. It’s actually a good thing when that’s all it’s used for.

Every once in a while, though, somebody hops on the phone, calls up ol’ Darrel and spouts out a diatribe that could best be described as a broadcast editorial. I’ve heard them on many subjects: the school referendum, Farmland – even why their paper wasn’t delivered last night.

There’s a similar function on this page called letters to the editor. Judging from what I hear from friends and acquaintances in the community, this is one of the most well-read features of the Tribune.

It’s supposed to be different from the broadcast rants on Party Line, however. The major difference is that you must sign your name to have your letter printed. No anonymous shots are allowed here; no cowards are welcome. If you’ve got something to say, and you want to say it publicly, you had better sign your name to it. Or you can forget it.

I like to think this adds some accountability; people are probably less likely to say whatever pops into their head if they have to sign their name to it.

Well, this week, somebody cheated. They decided it would be cute to use somebody else’s name when they wrote us a letter. It was a seemingly harmless letter about snowmobiling, and it was signed with the name of a real Hollandale man. The problem was this man did not write the letter, and while he does ride a snowmobile, the opinions described were not his own.

Why would somebody do this? Take your pick – immature prank, attempt to damage somebody’s good name, or maybe they just didn’t have the guts to sign their own John Hancock. The reason is not really important.

What is important is that this page has been violated. If people are signing false names, suddenly the letters are no longer what they seemed.

There was another, earlier incident. We got a letter from &uot;Benjamin Frank,&uot; who ripped the school administration fiercely. The letter included a note that the writer &uot;had no phone.&uot; That’s apparently why old Ben isn’t in the phone book.

But after the letter was printed, people wondered – does this person exist? Nobody I’ve talked to knows him. People with the last name Frank don’t know him. He is not in the city directory. And the name sure sounds fake when you think about it. Is there really a Ben Frank? If you are reading this, Ben, can you find a pay phone and prove to me that you exist? I am really starting to wonder.

When I started working here, I was amazed at how many letters to the editor were sent. I was able to fill up columns upon columns with them. These last few months, writers have been even more prolific.

I always told myself that these letters allowed us to get a wide array of opinions in the paper. On one day we could have two opposite takes on the same subject. I considered this healthy.

And which letters should I print? Well, all of them, I figured. We have the space and unless the letter was too vile, too long or too personal, there was no reason not to print them.

These last few months have changed that.

The fake name was the last straw. Even before that, I had noticed a disturbing trend: People were starting to play more and more loosely with facts. Tempers were running hot. Assumptions and rumors started passing for facts. People seemed more willing to go off half-cocked. This page was contributing to the poisonous atmosphere in this town. I started holding more letters, realizing that it would be irresponsible to print them all. I started doing more editing on the ones I did print.

I still encourage letters, but from now on, every single one is going to be verified before it’s printed. And I’m going to start being more picky about the &uot;facts&uot; people are citing in their letters. It’s one thing to have an opinion; it’s another thing entirely to distort the truth. I’m not talking about censorship; I’m talking about responsibility.

Things have gotten ugly on this page lately, but I draw the line here. This will not become Party Line in Print.

Dylan Belden is the Tribune’s managing editor. His column appears Sundays. E-mail him at dylan.belden@albertleatribune.com.