Should columnists be allowed to write letters to the editor?

By Joe McAdory

Published: May 14, 2008

A reader asked why Opelika-Auburn News columnists were also allowed to write letters to the editor. I replied, “They’re a citizen just like anyone else. Just because they write a column should not disqualify them from writing a letter.“

But is it fair that a person who is given, say 600 words per week, be given extra space through a letters to the editor format? I’m beginning to wonder. This is something I, along with management at the newspaper, will discuss in the near future.