When readers write letters

SCOTT WOLFE was certain his latest letter would never be printed in the Globe.

Still, the Worcester reader sent his handwritten note -- a lengthy statement of reasons he opposes same-sex marriage. He's convinced his conservative views are the main reason this letter and others he has written have not been published.

''Unfortunately, my letter will never be published because the Globe is blinded by political correctness," Wolfe wrote.

Saul Heller, a reader from Salem who claims to have had only two letters printed during the last five years, asked in an e-mail about the criteria that is used for determining which letters are printed.

It's rare that a week goes by without a Globe reader asking or complaining about letters to the editor printed on the editorial page. Previous Globe ombudsmen have addressed this issue but it is worth revisiting, especially since the Globe recently appointed a new letters editor.

The Globe began printing letters to the editor in 1885, under the title ''What People Talk About," according to Louis M. Lyons's historical account of the newspaper. The tone and mix of letters have varied, but the mission has remained largely unchanged: a place where readers can publicly discuss how they feel about something seen in the Globe.

These days, thanks mostly to the speed of e-mails, the Globe letters editor receives almost 150 submissions a day (some of them also arrive via fax and regular post). From those, about a half-dozen are selected for the next day's edition.

A note on the letters section makes clear some basic rules for letter writers: Submissions should be exclusively for the Globe (no mass e-mail campaigns); they should include the writer's name, address, and phone number; and they should be no longer than 200 words. Other than that, political leanings do not favor or exclude a reader's letter, said Matthew Bernstein, who became the Globe's letters editor in January.

''It's about giving voice to the readers," Bernstein said last week. ''My advice to readers, liberal and conservative, is to write that letter that offers thought, clarity, and a little wit doesn't hurt."

Bernstein strongly suggests that submissions comment on specific news stories or opinion pieces that have appeared recently in the newspaper, usually within the last 10 days.

Letters that disagree with a position taken by a Globe editorial or op-ed columnist or take issue with news coverage have stronger chances of getting printed than those that support an existing argument or simply pat the paper on the back.

''I lean toward letters that make a point that hasn't been made in order to advance the public dialogue," Bernstein said.

Recent cost-cutting measures have reduced the letters staff from one full-time and one part-time editor to just one full-time editor, according to Globe deputy editorial page editor Robert L. Turner.

Despite the smaller staff, ''individual letters are not getting less attention," Turner said.

The letters are checked for accuracy and to verify the author's identity and edited before they appear in print, Bernstein said. Readers who regularly submit letters to the editor should know that their success getting into print could work against them getting published again. The letters editor wants to limit repeat writers in favor of new voices.

The letters to the editor space on the editorial page remains the primary forum for readers' reactions to the Globe, which recently added more space for letters on Saturdays. Other areas of the newspaper have also opened their pages to their own letters page (usually on Sundays), including business, sports, arts, the Sunday magazine, City Weekly and suburban sections. Letters can be submitted directly to those sections. The Globe's website, Boston.com, also receives readers' letters. The ombudsman's office is another destination for letters and many of those are often posted on the ombudsman's blog or included in a weekly internal report distributed to all Globe journalists and executives.

The goal should be to maintain and expand the public conversation between the people who read the Globe and those who produce it. Many readers would be surprised to learn that their comments to the Globe don't simply disappear into some bureaucratic abyss. The Globe welcomes a wide variety of letters from readers. Liberals and conservatives alike should feel free to keep the conversation going.

The ombudsman represents the readers. His opinions and conclusions are his own. Phone 617-929-3020 or, to leave a message, 929-3022. His e-mail address is ombud@globe.com.