Dear Abby,

I’ll admit it. I read your column at least a few times a week. I even enjoy reading it most of the time. To be fair, it is simply because you are on the same page as the comics in the Journal Sentinel, but I digress. I’ve been reading your column for a few years now and I’ve noticed a trend that gets under my skin. You often respond to letters from children aged between about 8-13. I don’t doubt that you receive letters from this age group, but I’m skeptical that they are anywhere close what you actually publish. Every single letter you post is written in perfect college-level English and seems to bring up a specific discussion point for you that just so happens to coincide with issues that clearly matter to you. Drugs, alcohol, underage sex, and child abuse all come to mind. There is no question that these are valid and important issues, but to publish what are clearly fake or heavily altered letters to make that point, in my humble opinion, violates journalistic ethics. Having once been that age, I can speak with confidence that the likelihood of a tween using multi-syllable high level words, correct grammar, and sociopolitical driven talking points is just about zero. I obviously would expect you to correct simple grammar and spelling mistakes before publishing a letter, however if you’re altering a letter to the point where everything about it is at a level 10+ years above the writer, don’t you think you should acknowledge that? I think I can speak for at least some of your readers when I say that I would enjoy reading it more and would certainly find it more believable if these letters actually read like they were written by a tween.

Sincerely,
Not Buying the Bull