Proper editing needed

Like many of your readers, I have been following with some irritation the petty dingdong battles among some of your readers that have been aired in the "Your Letters" column. To date I have tried not to join the fray, not wanting to be associated with some of the nonsensical arguments on football, nationalism, language, etc., but I feel it is time to comment.

The principle of allowing the "right of reply" to a reader who feels that he or she must respond to an opinion of another reader is laudable if properly controlled by the editor. Everyone has a right to his or her opinion but if the editor does not carry out the basic task of "editing," the quality of not only the "letters" column but also of the newspaper as a whole will atrophy.

Of course, in the context of the "Your Letters" column, the meaning of the word "editing" is approval or not to publish a letter rather than to revise and correct it. If as a result of proper editing, the size of the column is reduced, so be it. Perhaps this will encourage other readers to write in on more important subjects.

NICK FENTON

Jakarta