Check your facts

The editorial staff of Credit Union Times is committed to making sure every story that appears in this publication is accurate, balanced, and unbiased. No such commitment can be made for the dozen of letters to the editor that appear in each weekly issue. By their nature, letters are anything but balanced and unbiased. They reflect the thoughts and feelings of readers which are usually regarding articles or opinion pieces that have appeared in Credit Union Times. Sometimes they refer to previously published letters. But while not unbiased, all letters submitted should be accurate. Often they are not. Who's responsibility is it to make certain the facts stated in letters are indeed factual? We think that responsibility belongs with the letter writer. Recently, a trade group executive referred to Lawrence Connell as the first NCUA Administrator (Chairman). He wasn't. A couple of other letter writers stated population percentages and the number of counties involved in a colleague's credit union expansion. Both pieces of information were incorrect. Since our editors only edit letters to the editor for length, grammar, and style, not for factual accuracy, our advice to any readers submitting a letter to be considered for publication in our letters section is to first check your facts. Credit Union Times gladly runs corrections when a mistake it makes somehow slips by. But errors in letters to the editor must depend on sharp-eyed readers to set the record straight.