Many of us are looking forward to the 2024 election season with something approaching dread — not just at potential outcomes, but at having to endure months of nastiness as increasingly polarized Americans claw at each other on TV, on social media and in newspapers. And yes, it has reached the pages of the Enterprise as well.
How to manage political commentary in the current, highly contentious climate is a vexing question for us in the newspaper business. On one hand, we want to encourage vigorous discourse in commentary and letters to the editor. On the other hand, we don’t want the commentary we publish to fray the social fabric of our community. After all, regardless of who wins the 2024 elections — from the township offices to the presidency — we’re all still going to be neighbors who need to live together in this place and look out for each other.
Some of our readers love the scrum; others would prefer not to read political commentary and letters at all.
