Dear Community,

This year I give thanks for so many things – for my family and my friends, and for the glorious revegetation that surrounds us – heroically guarded by our world-class First Responders. And I am thinking much about our community. I am thankful for the warm reception so many of you have given me, and for how engaged the members of our community are. It’s not just invigorating, but life affirming.

Many of you have inquired about the changes that will be made to the Journal and when these changes will be implemented. Over the next three months we will be putting new systems in place and preparing to launch our updated and freshly branded Montecito Journal, along with other pieces of our multi-pronged platform that will be rolled out strategically. But we are already beginning to introduce some.

We will no longer be printing anonymous letters. On rare occasions – as in a whistle blower situation – we claim the privilege to withhold a name if it protects us or the writer in some important way. But that will be indicated in the paper and the name will be known to us.

I believe if we are unwilling to stand behind our words, it probably means we need to reconsider the content or the tone, or possibly both, of our message.

It has to do with accountability, credibility, and setting standards for our discourse. Starting now, we ask that you take ownership of your opinions and sign your letters, just as we take ownership of our reporting, our opinions, and our editorial content.

One of the reasons I find the internet such a great repository of disinformation is “news” is often reported with no attribution or even evidence of an editorial board or any sort of oversight whatsoever. There are no names anywhere standing behind the reporting, no one’s reputation is at stake, and therefore accountability is lost.

Clearly the murkiness associated with unattributed letters and unattributed reporting only feeds the depressing national condition now referred to as the “post-Truth environment.” Under the cloak of anonymity, writers of every stripe feel comfortable “saying whatever” without fear of reprisal. As a result, our national conversation has become a competition for who can talk the loudest and insults have become more powerful than facts. This applies to both sides of the aisle. The megaphoning of ideas is great for the news outlets and the corporations that own them, but not so great for an informed populace or a productive conversation.

Our ability to communicate with perceived adversaries is critical to our finding a path through differences as well as finding productive solutions. It is a daunting national if not global condition. But this piece of it, how we choose to behave in our community, and the way we engage in discourse with one another, that is something we can do something about.

What do you think? Please tell us your opinion and, going forward, please tell us who you are; we’d like to know.

I’m Gwyn Lurie. Happy Thanksgiving.