The Stater staff gets quite a few “letters to the editor” every semester, and a common theme this semester has been for readers to send them in anonymously expecting them to be published. We have even received a few letters from random inanimate objects, including a “concerned apartment.”

To say this has become a problem for our readers alone is unfair. In the digital age, many people have come to expect and count on anonymity. You can easily go to KentWired or any other news website and rail against someone or something you disagree with. In many cases, the comments tend to be a little more outrageous when there isn’t a legitimate name attached to them.

Rarely do we receive a signed letter containing personal attacks against an opinion writer. Most people would rather remain anonymous, and say what they really feel instead of having hateful or unintelligent comments associated with their name. Of course, it is our policy to not print such letters regardless of whether they have a fake name on them.

Call us old fashioned, but when you write into the Stater or any other newspaper to complain about something, you should have the courage to put your real name. Why do you deserve to be heard by the entire campus community if you are too afraid to stand by your comments?

We certainly encourage our readers to share their opinions, both on the opinion page and on KentWired. That’s why we print letters and have a comment feature. The whole point of the opinion page is to encourage discussion.

That is the beauty of free press in this country. Everyone is free to have their opinion printed in the mass media for all to see. We all have the freedom to be critical of those in power. The First Amendment is truly a beautiful thing.

We only ask that if you write into our paper and expect us to share your view with other readers, you should have the courage to put your real name. We care about what are readers have to say, not a “concerned apartment.”

The above editorial is a consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater Editorial board.