In recent years, our nation and the Santa Clarita Valley have become increasingly divided.
Political disagreements have escalated into personal attacks, social media has amplified hostility, and community discussions within this paper have turned into battlegrounds rather than places for thoughtful debate.
Name-calling and personal attacks are unacceptable.
A few years ago, I wrote a column outlining our policy on name-calling and personal attacks, and lately it has become increasingly difficult to enforce.
Well, today we are doubling down on this policy, and we’re reminding all contributors that we will be strictly enforcing our policy of no name-calling or personal attacks on all of our platforms.
In print, on our website and on all our social media: We will delete any post or comment and edit any letter or column that does not follow these guidelines.
Social media comments in particular can be difficult to police — but whenever we become aware of something that crosses the line, we will delete it.
While differences of opinion are natural and even necessary in a democracy, the way we communicate those differences has deteriorated.
Here in the Santa Clarita Valley, we take pride in being a community that values respect, neighborliness, and open dialogue. However, like the rest of the country, we have seen an unfortunate rise in name-calling, insults, and personal attacks in public, social media and this paper.
This is not productive, nor does it reflect the values we strive to uphold, and in most cases does the opposite of trying to persuade anyone to your point of view.
Moving forward, I am making it clear: Name-calling will no longer be allowed in The Signal. Disagreements and debates are welcome, but they must be conducted with respect. Disagree on the merit of the issues, but not by attacking the other letter writer. Whether discussing politics, local issues, or national affairs, our goal is to foster thoughtful and meaningful conversations, not to provide a platform for hostility.
We encourage all readers and contributors to express their viewpoints with civility. This is not about suppressing opinions, it is about raising the standard of how we communicate with one another in this paper. By eliminating name-calling, we hope to set an example for constructive dialogue that strengthens, rather than divides, our community.
Santa Clarita is a special place, and we have an opportunity to lead by example. Let’s commit to being a community that debates ideas, not attacks people.
Richard Budman is the owner/publisher of The Signal.
