No publication—a newspaper or a local monthly—can exist without Readers, recipients, and an addressee. Recalling this banal truth seems indispensable when confronted with real life and editorial experience. We are pleased by the growing popularity of the magazine, interest in its substantive content, readers’ assessment of its contributors, and their own journalistic efforts. Differences of opinion, harsh criticism, and proposals and suggestions for programme changes do not offend us. We read and analyse all letters carefully and make use of good advice. This close bond obliges us to make greater efforts, seek new solutions, and meet expectations. It is a great satisfaction for the editorial team, and we sincerely thank you for your concern, cooperation, and kindness.
We are sorry that we cannot fulfil all commissions, requests, and proposals. Not every piece of material is suitable for publication, despite what some authors demand. This is not because of editorial censorship, because there simply is no such censorship and there cannot be, but because of the material’s quality, the hierarchy of the issues’ importance, and the manner of presentation. “Knowing the letters is not enough to become a man of letters,” I told one of my adversaries during an unprovoked polemic. That is too blunt a description, and I apologise for the strong words. We are not, however, a literary publication, and potential contributors must also take this into account. There is nothing to prevent you from arranging a conversation before sending in your text. This guarantees that an interesting article will appear in print. We are independent of orders, pressure, and coercion from outside. Blackmail and threats from an enraged petitioner will achieve nothing (unfortunately, we have had as many as two such cases...). We suffer from an excess of information, not a shortage of it. We remain always open to cooperation, but on the principles of goodwill and common sense.
We also refuse to publish libels, denunciations, and anonymous letters saturated with venom and encouragement to a “war down below.” It simply disgusts us. We want to serve the city and its residents with reliable information. Political ambitions and party matchmaking we leave to others.