Readers have the last word at ThePrint. Keep sending us your mails

Graphic by Shruti Naithani | ThePrint

At the end of a year, it is customary to reflect on the 12 months that have passed by and to draw some conclusions about them.

Not this year. As Readers’ Editor I want the readers to have the last word.

In this column, I will share your messages, which were sent to the Readers’ Editor mailbox. Thank you, as always, for writing in to ThePrint, for voicing your opinions, for your compliments and complaints, your suggestions and your sharp eye for where we may have erred.

It has been a pleasure to receive and read your mail, not only about ThePrint’s content but your impressions of the world we live in.

My wish for 2026?  I hope you will continue to read us, watch us, listen to us and interact with us. Please continue to write into the Readers’ Editor with your reflections. You play a crucial role in ThePrint’s journey. We value your thoughts on our content, where we have been right and where we may have missed a trick or two.

You help to keep us honest to our mission of offering good journalism. We depend on your feedback to make an objective assessment of our work.

Thank you.

Readers’ submissions

This column reflects mail received since October 2025. Let’s begin with the category of mail that’s the most popular: Articles submitted for publication in ThePrint.

So many, many of you write in, wanting ThePrint to publish your opinions on a wide array of subjects.

And what an array it is: Take a look.

There’s an article on “…principles based intuitive understanding as to why we should not care that much about the exchange rate.” Another, deals with Tanzania’s 2025 Electoral Crisis, and a third examines “How India’s New Seismic Zonation Map Reshapes Public Health Risks.”

Then, there was one on “Constitution Day: Reaffirming Our Foundational Covenant,” written to coincide with Constitution Day on 26 November. And one on the “… escalating leopard and black bear attacks in Uttarakhand’s hills—over 200 human deaths and 1,000 injuries from leopards alone—as a conservation paradox”.

A young first year college student offered a piece on ‘Death’— “… a short personal piece on life after death,” he wrote.

Another student had a piece on how “…non-traditional threats—specifically infrastructure negligence and youth substance abuse—are becoming critical internal security challenges for India.”

“The core argument: In 2023, “wrong-side driving” and potholes alone killed nearly as many Indians as all the soldiers we have lost in wars since 1947 combined,” he wrote.

A ‘homoeopathic Doctor and current MPH scholar’ tackled “…the common habit of “borrowing” sleep hours from the week and trying to “pay it back” over the weekend… this “social jetlag” has severe metabolic consequences.”

And then there is this: “Frankenstein (2025) and Biopolitics in the Age of AI”.

There were many more where these came from on subjects as wide apart as the new SHANTI Bill, the revised labour codes and student union elections at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Which brings me to the mail from a very annoyed reader that dropped in the mail box last week.

The writer submitted an article on “…a civilizational audit titled “Playing a Raga on a Piano: How Western Categories Muffled the Indian Mind,” building on the foundational work of Swami Vivekananda as published by Advaita Ashrama.” This submission was met with a curt, one-line dismissal: “We do not entertain unsolicited articles.”

“If The Print only entertains “solicited” voices from a pre-approved circle, it ceases to be a public square and becomes a closed enclosure for a neo-colonial elite,” he replied.

In previous Readers’ Editor columns, I have explained why it becomes difficult for ThePrint to publish pieces received from readers. But let me expand upon it.

First of all, my sincere apologies for the “curt” reply. We didn’t mean to be rude or disrespectful. We will find a better way to say no, thank you.

Each day, a new mail with readers’ opinion pieces arrive in the Readers’ Editor inbox. I try to read them all before passing on the articles I think fit into our profile to ThePrint’s editors.

Given the volume of articles received, it is impossible for us to consider all of them for publication.

Each piece must meet ThePrint’s rigorous editorial standards.

First, it has to be topical. Second, it has to pass the test of—is it saying something new, is it offering new information, new insight? Will it stand out among the sea of opinion articles on the subject online? Is it written by a domain expert? Will it have reader interest and does it have potential for shareability?

Then, the editing team has to review, edit, fact-check and often revise and rewrite articles that are eventually published.

ThePrint is a small organisation. The editorial strength meets our requirements but it would be impossible for us to follow due process for the volume of articles we receive from readers.

Also, space is a constraint. If you are a reader of ThePrint, you will have seen that there is limited space on the home page for each section of editorial content: At any given time, seven or eight pieces appear in each section.

It is our mission to offer commentators with expertise, this is what our readers have come to expect of ThePrint. We work very hard to get the best minds to write for us, always maintaining a balance and offering different shades of opinion.

The last point is critical: ThePrint is not a “closed enclosure”—we publish opinion pieces from the Left, Right and the Centre; from above and from below and from as many angles as we can.

And, like any other publication, we do retain the right to decide what to publish on our website.

I hope this helps explain our compulsions and constraints. Please bear with us.

To end this section on a positive note, ThePrint offers a “Your Turn” section.  Here, readers, who are subscribers, can send in articles and be published on our website. So please take advantage of this opportunity.

Interview, story suggestions

ThePrint prides itself on its exacting editorial standards. Each article goes through a thorough, detailed vetting and different levels of gatekeeping. That is to ensure ThePrint’s credibility. Better late than lax.

This editorial hygiene is possibly the reason why readers have rarely complained about factual errors or other inaccuracies.

On occasion, we have made corrections in articles, and taken down an article—but only after a court order. There have been some complaints about technical issues, too. However, these are fewer than earlier.

We receive suggestions too, like this one: “I request you to do an article about Heavy air pollution in Dombivli – Kalyan MIDC area pincode 421202/421201/421203. The level of air pollution has increased too much…chemical industries are working 24×7 with no rules and regulations…”

Thank you, dear reader, we are looking into this.

Here is an unusual subject request: “I am writing to humbly request your editorial consideration for a research innovation that I have developed… I have built Glacier GPT — the world’s first AI-based cryosphere research chatbot that can directly generate scientific datasets through a simple chat interface.”

We also receive suggestions for interviews with people—authors, journalists, for instance.

And then press releases. One for “First time in Asia: Blood Circulation of a 55-Year-Old Woman restarted after death to donate organs”.

A reader wanted to use ThePrint platform to promote “inbound tourism”, while another reader had a “Constitutional Request to Defer Bihar Election Announcement”.

An irate traveller shared a complaint against IndiGo before the mass flight cancellations in November.

Some readers share their letters to important people. One sent in his letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A regular correspondent with the Readers’ Editor shares all his missives on all kinds of subjects: There was one to the Election on Voters’ Lists, and another on  his “doubts” regarding the status of the BJP/RSS.

There are even some job applications, one from a cartoonist and one for a full-time journalism opportunity. For the record, all such requests are passed on to the Human Resource team.

I also wanted to point out that ThePrint reported on the most important events of 2025—with reporters on the ground. The Kumbh and New Delhi railway station stampedes, the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, the Air India crash, Bangladesh and Nepal protests leading to a change in government, and the Delhi car blast. We have also increased our video output.

In 2026, we hope to continue to grow and change for the better.

Shailaja Bajpai is ThePrint’s Readers’ Editor. Please write in with your views and complaints to [e-mail]

(Edited by Theres Sudeep)