Originally posted by oxford mushroom:
The Straits Times forum does not belong to Robert alone. Long letters will reduce available space for other contributors.
I am aware of this fact you have mentioned - the need to keep forum letters short to allow space for many other letters clamoring to be published.
However it cuts both ways as it is also this very fact that are perhaps cleverly used by Forum editor to justify rejections of deserving letters which are usually longer precisely because they contain in-depth analysis of problems likely to put the government in bad light or over-expose its policy failures or problems.