by Melanie Jongsma, Publisher
LANSING, Ill. (May 19, 2021) – The Lansing Journal is a community newspaper, and we like to hear from our community. One of the forums we provide for that is our Local Voices feature.
Local Voices is our version of “Letters to the Editor,” a tradition in newspaper publishing that dates back to the mid-18th century, according to Wikipedia’s post on the subject. Contemporary publishing is often digital and therefore more interactive than print publishing, so to some degree commenting has replaced letter writing. For people who have an opinion in response to a specific article, commenting offers immediate expression.
But we hope that our Local Voices feature will offer people expanded opportunities for expression. Rather than simply responding to something we’ve published, readers can write about other subjects and start new conversations.
More ideas, more voices
You don’t have to be a professional writer to submit something to Local Voices. You can use the forum to share an experience you had with a local business, to express opinions about the number of ads you see on our website, to ask questions about how street repairs are prioritized, to review an event at Fox Pointe. Our only requirement is that your opinions be presented respectfully and thoughtfully. And we hope our readers understand that any opinions posted as Local Voices are those of the writers. Publishing them does not indicate endorsement by The Lansing Journal.
If you look through the Local Voices submissions for the past several months, you’ll notice that the category has been dominated by local resident Bob Malkas. While we are happy to provide a forum for Mr. Malkas’s opinions on a variety of topics, we want to make sure other readers feel welcome to express themselves too. By way of example, I offer these links to Local Voices that were submitted by people who are not Bob Malkas:
- Repurposing Patternless Crosswords, by Paul Orich
- NAACP praises Homewood’s decision not to rezone Calumet Country Club, by Gary Dingle
- Shout-out to Gayety’s, by Barbara Raczak
- A Gratitude Award, by Connie Simon
- Thank you for the Christmas trees, by Virginia Ulaszek
- Early days at the Lansing Journal newspaper, by Jon Huisman
- A special thank-you from a New 2 You customer, submitted by New 2 You
- Continue the spirit of Giving Tuesday, by Carrie Steinweg
- A message to the Village of Lansing Administration, by the Lansing Community Coalition and Concerned Citizens of Lansing
- Our interview with Daniel José Older, by Breanna Lopez and Kyndall Jackson
- Thoughts on TF South’s vote to dissolve “Rebels” name, by Frank Fetters
- Memories of John Lewis, by Gale Gillis Carter
- Connecting Lansing: thoughts on bike paths, parks, strollers, neighborhoods, and businesses, by Cam Harvey
Let us hear your voices
Again, The Lansing Journal is a community newspaper. We like to hear from our community. We welcome input from fellow residents who have thoughtful things to say about topics that are important to our community.
Send your submissions to [email protected] with “Voices” in the subject line.
We look forward to hearing from you!
