Editorial: Letters to the editor epitomize participatory democracy

A number of readers have lamented in letters to the editor they have sent to The Vancouver Sun that there are fewer letters to the editor published than there were in the past.
Their sorrow is ours as well. After all, letters to the editor have been a feature of North American newspapers for more than two centuries. Indeed, by the mid-1800s, letters had not only become the main carrier of news reports and commentaries but were the dominant vehicle of public discourse.
Freedom of expression is fu