We Give Him A Voice
To The Editor:

Congratulations on your 25th anniversary issue. It was a great trip down memory lane from the past up to today. Your issue reminded me of how fortunate we are, living in one of the few remaining free societies with a wealth of information sources available for any citizen to access.

Today, in New York City we have ongoing circulation battles between a number of daily newspapers. They face competition from other daily newspapers who have a strong presence in their own communities such as New York and Long Island Newsday, Staten Island Advance, Journal News (Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Dutchess Counties), Star Ledger (New Jersey), Herald Record (Hudson Valley and Catskills), along with the best source for international news coverage--the New York Times-- also in the mix with the New York Post, Daily News and New York Sun. There [are] also national editions of USA Today and the Wall Street Journal, along with freebies such as AM New York and Metro New York. More people turn to all-news radio, national network news such as ABC, CBS, NBC along with their local affiliates, News 1, FOX-5, MY-9, WB-11 and PBS, cable news stations such as CNBC, CNN, FOX, BBC and the Internet for late breaking news, which can sometimes become stale by the time it reaches print the next day. A growing population of new immigrants support their own newspaper, radio and television stations. Don't forget the growth of weekly papers such as the Village Voice, New York Press and New York Observer.

In various neighborhoods all over the city, you have far better coverage of local community events than any daily newspaper can provide. Queens residents can select from your excellent paper, along with many free competitors such as the Tribune, Courier, Examiner, Ledger [$.50 per copy] and Chronicle.

Manhattan residents have the Downtown Express, Westside Spirit, Our Town, Resident and Villager.

Brooklyn residents have such choices as the Brooklyn Paper, Downtown Star, Courier Life, Spectator, Home Reporter and Graphic.

[The] Bronx and Staten Island also have a number of weekly newspapers available to read as well.

In the marketplace of ideas, let us hope there continues to be room for everyone. I'm grateful that the Queens Gazette has on many occasions over the years afforded me the opportunity to express my views along with many others who may have different opinions on the issues of the day. Thanks to you, an ordinary citizen like myself is afforded the freedom to comment on the actions and legislation of various elected officials. Public officials are powerful, with easy access to taxpayers' dollars used on a regular basis to promote their views. This is done via mass mailings of newsletters, news releases, letters to the editor and guest opinion page columns. In many cases, they are produced by campaign or office staffers paid for by taxpayers on public time. Ordinary citizens like myself only have the limited ability when we can to find the time and just submit a simple letter to the editor which you are reading now.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner
Great Neck, New York