For some time now, I have had a continuing and growing concern regarding the presentation of the news to the public, both on TV and in the newspaper.

Recently, as I was reading the newspaper one evening, again, as often before, I had to leave off in the middle of an article and could not continue because of the sordid details that were thrown in my face.

I firmly believe that the more explicit the description of a crime, the more likely there will be copycat crimes as the result of the information. A line should be drawn before things get to that point.

I don’t believe that decent people want to read all the disgusting details of a criminal’s immoral habits, or are newspaper editors targeting a type of humanity that wants to see that stuff? I hope that is not the intention.

I believe a responsible citizen should know what’s going on in the world, but not the details of such degradation. I realize I can just quit reading the paper and may very well do that, but is that the newspaper’s goal?

Perhaps it would be better for editors to have a little more discernment and edit the gross parts of some stories.

Janet Pinkham, Mechanic Falls