Victor Murthy’s column, “It’s time for UNM’s fat people to change their ways,” published in Tuesday’s paper, has drawn criticism for Murthy and the Daily Lobo itself. In just two days, the column has generated numerous letters to the editor and more than 80 comments online, which is unprecedented for any other opinion piece this year. Many of these comments questioned the Daily Lobo’s discretion in printing the letter. We would like to clarify a few points.
The Daily Lobo did not pay Murthy to write the column. When we receive a long letter to the editor about a topic that has not been presented in an article in the news, sports or culture sections, we may consider labeling it a guest column. Since the Daily Lobo did not print a story relating to obesity or a topic of that nature, we decided to label Murthy a “guest columnist.”
Columnists’ opinions do not reflect the opinions of the Daily Lobo staff.
Murthy’s letter was not printed at the expense of another, perhaps more relevant letter. Serving a relatively small community, the Daily Lobo receives a limited number of letters to the editor each day. Many other daily newspapers serve populations of over 50,000 people and therefore draw from a larger pool of opinionated individuals.
We always welcome your letters to the editor. The Daily Lobo is also looking for columnists to write about politics, current events, science and philosophy.
