Loyal Readers,
After 25 years of writing a weekly column for the Brattleboro Reformer I am severing my relationship with the newspaper. Over the past two years I have had to fight a constant battle to receive timely payment for the meager forty dollars per column. It has been common for them to pay me up to six to eight weeks after submission of invoices and then after constant reminders for payment.
But it certainly has not been about the money or I would have quit years ago. There have been bumps over the years with editors, but the most recent regime has forced me to reconsider how much of my dignity I am willing to sacrifice and how many principles I am willing to compromise in order to have a voice in the Reformer.
The final straw came this past week in an exchange with executive editor Kevin Moran, who works out of the Pittsfield office. I will share the details of that current correspondence and the column they will not print so you can understand what has transpired if you contact me at rbdav@comcast.net.
Moran’s final sentence in that e-mail would have been painful to me if I thought he was worthy of a response. He said, “I’d suggest spending more time researching and writing, so that these columns will be worth their space in the Reformer.”
I am working on creating a blog and will not give up on trying to present an important viewpoint to the community. I will let you know when the blog is ready.
Thank you for reading my columns over the years and thank you for all of the comments and correspondence you have shared.
Richard Davis
Sorry to hear about this
… but you always have a home and platform here. We’d love your thoughts in these pages, with no editing or requesting you to be more worthy. (Payment is never delayed, either – there is none!)
I trust people to be the experts they are. 25 years of column-writing counts, as do the years of professional work.
Keep it up...
Richard, I have always found your columns worthy. I look forward to reading your thoughts in whatever venues you choose.