EDITORIAL

A great big thank you to, well, you: Thanks for writing

Posted

It has been a long-standing tradition at this paper that when the year ends, we thank every single letter writer by name. And it’s a tradition we’re most certainly continuing at the end of these very words.

But before we do that, there’s another list we should look at first. Unlike the 200-plus names of our contributors, this list is just 24 names. But it’s 24 names too many.

Over the past year, 24 journalists were killed in the line of duty around the world, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Like Ahmed Muhana al-Lami, a freelance photographer killed Dec. 6 during a dangerous assignment in Iraq. Or Néhémie Joseph, a radio reporter murdered in Haiti on Oct. 10. Or Anas al-Dyab, who was caught in crossfire while covering the military conflict in Syria on July 21.

Thankfully, covering Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, Fieldston, Kingsbridge and Marble Hill isn’t all that dangerous for the reporters at this paper. But every day, as unwarranted attacks against the media continue by the White House, it becomes scarier and scarier to pursue the truth.

And death isn’t the only threat facing those who dare carry a notebook. The CPJ has found another 250 reporters behind bars because of the work they do.

Think about that for a moment. The list of contributors below, that’s nearly 250 names. Imagine if each and every one of those people were now occupying a jail cell. Imagine that was you — simply for expressing your thoughts in words, or from a reporter’s standpoint, simply doing our jobs.

We are ever so lucky to live and work in the greatest country in the world — or at least we aspire for that — and that the work we do is protected by the backbone of every law we have in the United States, the Constitution.

But don’t become complacent. Those protections were easy to put in place, and they can just as easily be taken away. Especially by those who are threatened by the truth.

We can’t let that happen. Now more than ever, your support is needed to defend this institution which puts facts ahead of everything else. Which provides you a vehicle to share your thoughts, and to be heard. And to live life surrounded by truth, and not simply a fake reality some government wants you to swallow.

Thank you for allowing us to bring you the stories that matter most for you. And please, the next time you get a chance, don’t forget to thank a journalist.

Thank you to:

Rhoda Alben-Aronson, Don Appel, Karen Argenti, Lauri Aron.

Bill Baskin, Peter Beitchman, Bob Bender, John Benfatti, Alessandra Biaggi, Joe Bialek, Gene Binder, Pauline Binder, Thomas Bird, Judith Block, Don Bluestone, Jamaal Bowman, Perry Brass, Sam Bromberg, Sean Brown, Stephen Budihas, Vittorio Bugatti, Deirdre Burke, Kathleen Burke, Andy Byford.

Sergio Cabrera, Walter Carpenter, Ignacio Castillo, Dimitri Cavalli, Stuart Chen-Hayes, Johanna Clearfield, Barbara Cochran, Stephanie Coggins, Andrew Cohen, Ed Cohen, Estelle Cohen, Glen Colton, Peter Cook, Lawrence Cooper, Suzanne Corber, Linda Cox, Marcos Crespo, Jeannie Crowley, Jose Luis Cruz, Nick Curto.

Linda Dahl Vogl, Paul Daniel, Lisa Daub, Carol De Angelo, Lou Deholczer, Megan DePerro, Roxanne Delgado, Florence Dempsey, Christopher DeNicola, George Diaz Jr., Ruben Diaz Jr., Irene Diaz-Reyes, Eric Dinowitz, Jeffrey Dinowitz, Sue Ellen Dodell, Debbi Dolan, Dennis Donofrio, Mark Dunlea.

Alisa Eilenberg, Deborah Eiseman, Eliot Engel, Stewart Epstein, Judith Esterquest, Barbara Estrin, Morgan Evers, Isaac Evans-Frantz.

Shenggen Fan, Daria Farman-Farmaian, Robert Farrell, Kate Fawcett, Nicholas Fazio, Rick Feldman, Theodore Fettman, Jennifer Firestone, William Fleming, Judy Fletcher, Robert Foltz-Morrison, Ginny Fox, Rita Freed, Lora Frisch, Steven Froot.

Derek Garrison-Bedell, Linda Gazzola, Harlan Geller, Sabrina Geov, Joan Ginard, Rosemary Ginty, Michael Goldblum, Annemarie Golden, Lynn Goldfarb, Patty Goldstein, Miriam Gomez, Alvin Gordon, Karen Green, Josh Greenfield, Chris Gregory, Margaret Groarke, Manny Grossman.

Shari Hall, Chad Haller, Jessica Haller, Lois Harr, Mary Harrington, Peter Heimann, Miriam Helbok, Susan Hesse, Ariana Holback, Avrum Hyman.

Sura Jeselsohn, Alfred Kaiser, Maia Kallen, Lewis Kaminski, Rita Karig, Eve Kessler, David Knapp, Deborah Kramer, Helen Krim, Pete Kuntz.

Mary Ann La Fountain, Susan Landgraf, Berel Lang, Elizabeth Lang, Joy Leftow, Ira Levenberg, Richard Liebowitz, Faye Lieman, Elsa Linda, Barbara Bobbi Linn, Daniel Lipsman, Claire Lobel, Jose Lopez, Sara Lord.

Iffat Mahmud-Khan, Harold Maio, Betsy Malcolm, Linda Manning, Lucia Maria, Marielle Marne, Jack Marth, Evy Mayer, Sister Amy McKenna, Judy McQuisition, David Mirtz, Charles Moerdler, Heather Moore, Henry Moss, Phyllis Murray.

Sarah Newgarden, Margaret Nolan, Pattie Noonan, Marion Novack, Catherine O’Brien, Udi Ofer, Kevin O’Reilly, Jane Orient, Jeffrey Otto.

Dan Padernacht, George Papacharisis, Jennifer Pedulla, Larry Penner, Mitch Perle, Sally Pipes, Elchanan Poupko, Ray Pultinas.

Carol Radel, Cathy Raduns, Jessica Ramos, Michelle Rea, Steve Reich, Daniel Reingold, Nina Reznick, Catherina Rinaldi, Madeline Ritter, Christopher Rizzo, Judy Roberts, Ava Rodgers, Kathleen Rodgers, Michael Rosenblatt, Elizabeth Rosenthal, Nathan Rubin, Charmaine Ruddock, Tracey Ellen Ryan.

Alan Saks, Sima Sambol, Jennifer Scarlott, Saul Scheinbach, Steven Scher, Eric Seiff, Kami Seligman, Tracy Shelton, Bobbi Siegelbaum, Steve Siegelbaum, George Silos, Steven Silverstein, Joseph Smith, Kathy Solomon, Laura Spalter, Cliff Stanton, Bernard Stein, Richard Stein, Althea Stevens, Adam Stoler, Carol Stricker, Scott Stringer, John Sweeney.

Farris Thomas Jr., Tommy Thompson, Patrick Toomey, Jeff Torkin, Judith Veder, Diane Vigliarolo, Teresa Vuoso.

Jim Wacker, Lisa Wainberg, Wantoe Wantoe, Richard Warren, Norman Wechsler, Eben Weiss, Richard Wilkins, Jumaane Williams, Dale Wolff, Maurice Wolfthal, Jessica Woolford, David Wuchinich, Kathryn Wylde.

Marcia Yerman, Josh Zakharov, Rosalind Zavras, Kip Zegers, Martin Zelnik.

Have an opinion? Share your thoughts as a letter to the editor. Make your submission to letters@riverdalepress.com. Please include your full name, phone number (for verification purposes only), and home address (which will not be published).
Freedom of speech, letter writers, journalists,

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