Letters not printed in the Herald that seem to meet their criteria has been an issue for years. Now, answers are coming to light explaining why some letters do not get printed. There could well be more answers for why other letters have been skipped over the past few years.

Their email system has been rejecting emails as spam if they had certain benign differences from most email. Thus the letters editor Scott Ayers never receives some email as the Herald's computer system swallows them. This has been the case with letters from Tip Johnson. Tests this past week have revealed this and it could also affect other writers.

Then another letter Scott received he just thought was not for printing but rather was advice to the editors. How he could think that is...well, a question, since he is the letters editor. The writer, Barbara Rofkar, discovered this in a follow-up phone call with Scott. After waiting another week for the letter to print and not seeing it, I wrote Scott this morning asking about it. He replied that he was waiting for her to send in the letter again. ??? You know, I just don't think I'll pursue more questioning on that issue. Barbara has resubmitted it and we can look forward to reading her letter - real soon.

Scott has insisted in his blog that all qualifying letters are printed. Some writers have insisted that is not true. We now know the writers are right and Scott is wrong. So the question is - what other improbable scenarios are playing out to prevent qualified letters from being printed in the Herald? Or, how many other letters to the editor did Scott nor realize were intended for publication?