Enveloped

I'm clearly behind the times on how modern newspapers work. The London Evening Standard has a feature called "Have Your Say", which looks very much like a letters (or email) page.

I thought that people wrote letters to newspapers for two basic reasons; the first, and most likely, because they are indignant, if not apoplectic, about some matter of public debate that they're prepared to lash out on a first-class stamp, or time on the laptop, to get their fervently held-point of view out there. The second, to demonstrate their cleverness or humour to the wider world with an apercu, put-down, or informational nugget.

The Standard has apparently found a third way - the commissioned letter. Yesterday's edition featured contributions from Roger Mosey and Mark Damazer on their former employer, the BBC. Roger's, improbably, was the longer letter, calling for the abolition of The Trust, and the creation of a non-executive Chairman of the BBC Executive. Mark's was shorter (presumably edited) and more opaque - a sort of plea for whoever ends up as new Chairman to be given time to ease into the job.

Does it matter that these contributions were sought, not volunteered ? When they look like letters, I think it does.