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Your Views: Let media know how you feel about coverage
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Letters may be sent to letters@gainesvilletimes.com; sent by fax to 770-532-0457; or mailed to The Times, P.O. Box 838, Gainesville, GA 30503. Please include full name, hometown and phone number. Letters must be confirmed before being considered for publication. They should be limited to one topic on issues of public interest and may be edited for content, grammar, spelling and length. Letters written by or forwarded from other sources and those involving personal matters, business disputes, expressions of faith or memorial tributes may be rejected. You may be limited to one letter every two weeks. Letters and articles submitted may be published in print, electronic or other forms. Letters, columns and cartoons express the opinions of the authors and not The Times.

First we voted Tuesday at the ballot box, but the second vote we can make is with our wallets and consumer decisions.

The media has done a great disservice to democracy. They have protected "their" candidate and skewered ours. They chose sides, did not report or probe equally, and mocked conservatives or at least those that leaned conservative. The name-calling, accusations and childlike behavior by news outlets was horrendous. It is no longer covert leanings toward a candidate, but out in the open manipulation of information flow.

The second vote we have is to discontinue supporting their defective products. That means canceling newspapers and magazines that revealed who they were these last 18 months. That means not going to Web sites and pursuing links that pay the host site for click-ad payments. It means consumer activism.

This has already started to happen. The funny thing is that papers like the New York Times think that it is just a shift to online media. While part of that is true, some is also due to people turning elsewhere for their information.

Taking this action is so easy. It just means breaking online habits of going to places like MSNBC, canceling papers that you were only marginally interested in, not renewing subscriptions and start looking for other friendly avenues of information.

This is not after-the-election sour grapes. It is about being fed up with having been manipulated and disrespected by media outlets, and their assuming we will forgive and forget and return to their products with our open wallets.

For me enough is enough. Maybe we will get the media's attention over time.

Edward Rone
Flowery Branch

Sardis Road project a winner
I would like to commend everyone from Engineering to Road Maintenance who participated in the new Sardis Road project. Traffic flow has improved tremendously and the community has an attractive roadway. It was worth the wait and the inconvenience. Thank you for a job well done.

Janey R. Smith
Gainesville