Letters column needs more young writers

I can't help but notice that most people who write in to the Daily Herald are older. While age is not often explicitly stated in their submissions, it can be reasonably inferred. They mention having grandchildren or going to high school in the ‘70s or even ‘60s.

This is to be expected. Older people are more likely to read newspapers, and, frankly, have more free time to do things like write letters to the editor. This is not an issue in itself.

The consequences of this manifest, however, when you look at the topics they discuss and how they discuss them. There are often letters that are dismissive of climate change, as if anyone can dismiss the “once in a generation” heat waves that hit us every summer nowadays. Letters that call upon universities to expel protesters, or question whether they have ulterior motives, as if injustice is not motivation enough to take action.

I think the Daily Herald could do with more youth representation in its letters to the editor, but given the trends of news consumption in this country, that's not a realistic thing to expect.

Tyler Alexander

Schaumburg