20 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 3, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Don’t forget to write!
Th is new year, resolve to become a letter
writer. It doesn’t take that much time or
eff ort. Put what’s on your mind regarding
a Queens issue into text, then send it to us.
We’ll check for factual accuracy and proper
punctuation and grammar.
Everybody’s got an opinion on the news
aff ecting their lives, and up until the advent
of social media, the place to share it was
in the space in the daily or weekly paper
known as the “Letters to the Editor” column.
We still have such a column in this paper,
of course, and we will always have one. It’s
important for this newspaper, or any newspaper,
THE QUEENS
editorial
PUBLISHER & EDITOR
CO-PUBLISHER
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ART DIRECTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
STAFF REPORTERS
CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS
PRODUCTION MANAGER
INSIDE SALES MANAGER
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
PRESIDENT & CEO
VICE PRESIDENT
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
BOB BRENNAN
ROBERT POZARYCKI
NIRMAL SINGH
EMILY DAVENPORT
JENNA BAGCAL, MARK HALLUM, KATRINA MEDOFF,
CARLOTTA MOHAMED, ALEJANDRA O'CONNELL-DOMENECH,
BILL PARRY, NAEISHA ROSE
CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI
DEBORAH CUSICK
CELESTE ALAMIN
MARIA VALENCIA
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441
www.qns.com
editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com
for advertising e-mail: ads@qns.com
Entire Contents Copyright 2017 by The Queens Courier
All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should
include a full address and home and offi ce telephone numbers, where available, as well as affi liation, indicating
special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION.
No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The
publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the
error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within fi ve days of publication. Ad position cannot
be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content
or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold THE
QUEENS COURIER and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the
publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement.
STORY: Blast at Con Edison plant in Astoria lights up the skies and
fl ickers lights in Queens
SUMMARY: The Fire Department responded to a reported transformer
explosion at a Con Edison facility in Astoria that caused a freaky blue
light over the skies of the city and fl ickered lights across the borough.
REACH: 39,503 people (as of 12/28/18)
to have an outlet for readers to interact,
to comment, to shape public opinion on
the things that matter to them.
Th ere’s just one problem — we’re not getting
as many letters as we used to.
Th e majority of letters we receive seem
to come from six people who are prolific
in their submissions to the column. We
off er our sincere gratitude to John Amato,
Frederick Bedell, Henry Euler, Linda
Imhauser, Robert LaRosa and Larry Penner
for always coming through with their takes
on the events of the community and the
world.
Th eir opinions are diverse, and not everyone
agrees with what they have to say. But
that’s fi ne. Th at’s the whole point of the letters
column, and of our democracy in general.
We’re supposed to think diff erently, talk
to each other, share ideas.
Letter-writing is a dying art, as we know
full well. Technology has brought us to that
point. When we want to contact someone,
we send a brief text or email. If we want to
sound off on a major issue in our community,
we fi re off a quick tweet or Facebook
post and it’s out there for the world to see.
It seems easier and quicker to do this, but
it’s not necessarily as impactful as a letter
can be.
Th ere’s a certain power in a good letter to
the editor. Th e lawmakers, the movers and
shakers, the decision-makers in this borough
read this newspaper, and they read
the letters to the editor. Th ey learn through
our articles and your letters about the most
pressing matters that they may not have
noticed before, and that becomes the impetus
to take corrective action.
You can say what’s on your mind, but
don’t be nasty or hateful. We won’t publish
that, nor will we publish letters anonymously.
However, if you want your message
heard but your name left unseen, please tell
us when sending your letter.
Send your letters to editorial@qns.com or
mail them to Letters to the Editor, 38-15 Bell
Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361.
/WWW.QNS.COM
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