On letters to the editor, please follow our word limit

It's time to remind everyone again that letters to the editor are getting too long. Of seven letters in today's Thousand Oaks Acorn, five easily exceeded the 350-word limit.

We get lax about enforcing our word limit for one reason and one reason alone--we love your letters, even when you're criticizing us. Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are important to us, and we're sure that they're important to you, too.

We print almost every letter, unless it's libelous or self-serving. To print as many letters as we can, we must control the length. We haven't been strictly enforcing our word limit, so it's time to tighten up again.

Please comply.

While we're on the subject of letters, please remember, too, that we require a street address and phone number for every letter. If you sent one and it wasn't printed, there's a good chance that you didn't comply or that we couldn't reach you. Neither your address nor phone number are released to the public, but they are a requirement. We also like to call and confirm that you wrote the letter and not somebody else.

If someone wants to contact you, we'll let you know, and you can decide whether to call them or not.

We don't print anonymous letters or those with false names. Please include your first and last name unless you're known by your initials (in which case, first and middle initials are required).

We don't print copies of letters that were sent to elected officials or to government offices, nor do we print letters that were sent to daily newspapers.

Again, your letters are important. If something is bugging you, share it with other readers. Letters can be sent to the address elsewhere on this page or to steve@theacorn.com.