By Andrew West
Delaware State News
DOVER — Our newspaper’s pledge appears every day on our Opinion page.
The fifth bulleted line reads, “To use our opinion pages to facilitate community debate, not to dominate it with our own opinions.”
It’s right at the heart of our mission as a company with a commitment to the ideals of the First Amendment.
That’s why we have launched a new feature at DelawareStateNews.net.
It is “Question of the Day,” and we’re hoping it stimulates discussion — in a civil way, of course — on issues of importance in our community.
Each day, the Delaware State News will pose a question pertinent to conversations taking place in our community.
For example, on Thursday, we asked: “Scientists and pharmaceutical companies are furiously working to find a vaccine to immunize people against COVID-19. When the first iteration of the vaccine becomes available, will you get it? If not, why not?”
A few of the reader responses:
• “I probably would, but I will wonder about it. My wife got the first shingles vaccination. Eight years later, I get it, and it is new and improved. Turns out the original was only 50% effective and the latest is now 90%. They wanted my wife to get the new one, too, but she has demurred thus far.”
• “No, I wouldn’t. I would like to see more testing and long-term effects.”
The feature can be found under the Opinion header on our website.
Each question is a separate link. Read the question, then scroll down to the comments area and share your thoughts.
Our editors will regularly monitor the feature. When appropriate, we may use comments from the feature on our newspaper’s Opinion page or in stories we are preparing.
Thanks for taking part in the civil discussion of the issues in our community.
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A few days ago, the Delaware State News relaunched the “Essentially Milford” newsletter to showcase the great content we have been developing in the community.
New Delaware State News reporter Noah Zucker is off to a good start, covering news and business developments in Milford.
To receive the newsletter each Thursday, sign up for a free subscription at DelawareStateNews.net/newsletters.
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One of the most closely followed areas of coronavirus concerns has been the reopening of schools.
Delaware State News reporter Brooke Schultz tracked this closely through the state’s working groups. On Wednesday, the state issued the “Returning to School” guidelines.
What questions do you have about the return to school? What are your concerns?
And, to include another of the past week’s Questions of the Day, “Will you send your kids back to school?”
Visit DelawareStateNews.net now and voice your opinion.
Andrew West is executive editor of the Delaware State News.