Courier Wins First in Column Writing, Receives Anonymous Critique

It was a good week for us here at the Courier, at least when it comes to wins and placement in the Montana Newspaper Association's Better Newspaper Contest  Awards for 2015. Our own Sandy Laumeyer took First Place in the Column Writing category. Her submission was titled "The Touch of a Hand." Congratulations, Sandy!

The Courier also took Second Place for Best Newspaper Promotional Ad for a selection from our popular special section, "Hi-Line Farm & Ranch."

Second Place for Best Sports Story went to former publisher Jim Orr for his entry, "The NFL-Plentywood Connection." Judges from the contest commented, "Nice entry and information." Orr also took away Second Place recognition for Best Headline Writing.

We—or rather, the goodly Virgil Vaupel—also took Second Place in Column Writing for "Death Has Occurred/But I Was Feeling So Chipper." Considering the passionate feelings Vaupel inspires in our readers, I would have expected either First Place for him, or excommunication. Regardless, we'll take what we can get and consider the batting order stacked with heavy hitters.

On the subject of V.V., I've received a handful of private correspondence lambasting our award-winner in recent weeks. Some of the points made have been thoughtful and well-intentioned, but still more have encouraged me to employ my power as publisher/managing editor to silence what some feel is hateful and bigoted commentary. To that, I would simply reply that I do not censor writers in the pages of the Courier. Once I've agreed to take a submission from an opinion columnist, I edit lightly for typos and grammar and run anything short of slander or hate speech as-is. The only exception to that rule comes about when a discussion arises between the author in question and myself regarding simple points of fact. If I'm able to change a writer's mind, or have my own changed by them, the copy may reflect shifts in point of view.

The thing is, I would rather have arguments about ethics, politics, culture, etc., in the full light of public scrutiny. The counterintuitive truth is that progress is often made when persons with a platform duke it out in print for everybody to see. But there I go writing like Virgil is wrong from time to time by default. That is not the case. If public opinion is any measure, the man is right, or at least resonates with a considerable faction of our readership. And they are by no means a minority (if you'll pardon the pun). The viewpoints expressed by Vaupel in his columns are, of course, his own, but both his life experiences and his ideas about the world we live in are representative of a great many Valley County residents. If you disagree with them, dear readers, please step up to the plate and dash off a column of your own conveying your thoughts and objections. We will do our best to put respectful commentary on the subject from readers front and center on this page.

Among the letters we've received without verifiable attribution was a lengthy missive detailing objections to Virgil's fact-checking abilities and approach to journalism. Whether you care to agree with the points made therein or not, you won't have the opportunity to chime in until we can verify the authorship of the letter, which was titled, "Look It Up!" As a piece of writing, it is one of the best letters I've received during my brief time here in Glasgow. I would very much like to run it in full, but that isn't going to happen until its author grants permission and verifies the name (a very famous name indeed) signed at the bottom. If you're reading, sir or madam, do us all a favor and usher your commentary into the light of day where we can all benefit from the discussion that doubtless unfolds.

I should add that off-the-record letters are welcome too. While we'd rather run all communications stirred up by our contributors, I wouldn't be responding to deeply-felt opinions held by our readers at all if it wasn't for those letters and text messages. In other words, please keep them coming—whether they're intended for publication or not.