Readers and the Monitor difference

I think the Monitor may be the finest newspaper in the world!

Thank you for sending it to me, an 80-year-old retired parole officer and veteran of WWII and the Korean conflict, on the Internet.

Gratefully
– Bob Peck

In 1953-54 I was a graduate student at the University of Michigan. Professors told us that the Monitor was the only unbiased daily newspaper in the country. I have read it daily since and I concur. A few years ago I complained to the staff at our local library and since then they have carried the Monitor.

Keep up the good work.
– Irene Rauth

Reading some of your stories, I am now convinced that you are the best answer to the news on TV (with the exception, perhaps, of PBS) and commercial newspapers. Keep up the good job!

Sincerely,
– Joshua Salik

This comment is motivated today by Scott Petersen's report on Marines coming home from having served in Fallujah. But it really pertains to the outstanding reporting that the Monitor days on a worldwide basis, day in and day out.

I just want to say, thank you. Thank you to the outstanding reporters who risk their lives to make it possible for Monitor readers to understand the world through the eyes of others. Thank you to the editors who do such a fabulous job of putting the paper together. Thank you for building one of the best newspaper websites in the business. Thank you to Mary Baker Eddy, who understood that even in a market crowded with other publications, there was a need for the Monitor. Thank you.
– Megan Taylor

I am a high school teacher and encourage my students to stay informed every day. I read the news from all over the world every day. Your coverage of the big stories has been outstanding. You are doing real journalism. Most of the mainstream media has not done any journalism for years. I hope you will continue to do the hard, important journalism American citizens desperately need.

Thank you
– David Smith

Just wanted to comment on the delight I feel in reading the various parent experiences written by Robert Klose. As a grandparent of two newly adopted children, I love the way he has kept us informed of their growing stages along with his.
– Lenore Biller

I have been reading the online edition of the CS Monitor for some time and am impressed that its claim of being free and without bias is a true trait, visible in every story published.

In India, where I work in a senior position with a major English-language newspaper, I have found that claims and realities are not often congruent. Claims are just that; realities are something else.

Way back in 1973, in my journalism school, we as students were told that CS Monitor was a good example of good journalism. That commendation by the faculty then holds good today. Thank you for being consistent.
– Mahesh Vijapurkar

The CSM treats peoples of the world in its news coverage as neighbors we should know about, not as exotic or frightening strangers. I love the thread of common humanity in the coverage, and the clear "there but for the grace of God go I" message. We're all in the big leaky boat together, and the CSM acknowledges and celebrates it. We've subscribed for over a decade, and plan to for many more. Keep it up!
– Ross Jennings

Scott Peterson – excellent. I spend a considerable amount of time in trying to keep up with news from Iraq. Peterson is a refreshing voice. He reads well – accurate, balanced. He is a credit to the Monitor. He is the kind of credible voice which makes the Monitor the source of news it has come to be.
– Larry Hillebrand

I am a faithful reader of the Christian Science Monitor, I can't always read it all everyday but I save them all to read later. I wanted to tell you what I do read daily, even if it is right before bed at 1:00 a.m. I always read the headlines, Reporters on the Job and Ron Charles' book review, if it is in the paper. I appreciate Mr. Charles' refreshing writing and honesty. Please thank him for me and thank you for a great newspaper.
– Karen Pyne

Years ago, when I was in college, I used to stand at a bus stop outside of a Christian Science Reading Room. I'd read through the window the stories displayed under the banner "Get to know one of the world's greatest newspapers!"

Recently, I discovered your online edition through links on Google News. And, I just have to let everyone on the web team at csmonitor.com know that I think the web presentation of your articles is the best to be found anywhere on the Internet.

The layout is simply beautiful, elegant and immensely readable. Whenever I am browsing Google News, an available csmonitor.com article is the first I read because it is pleasure for the eyes.

Thanks for everything!
– Jay Gregory

Just a quick thank you. I never read your publication before assuming it was biased and a narrow source of news. What I found was the complete opposite. It is what a news source should be. I am also an active Catholic and thoroughly enjoyed the Home Forum. Keep up the good work.
– Mike Fries

I never read any article on your website. I never knew it even existed. The other night, I was searching the web for the word "Saudi", a search I frequently launch to read about my beloved country. An article on your website was among the hits returned. The article was "As fasting ends, the lessons of Ramadan linger" By Faiza Saleh Ambah. I have to tell you that my tears did not stop falling until I finished reading the article.

Being a Saudi citizen studying in the United States has become tremendously difficult since the terrible events of September 11th. Among other things, a steady and relentless media campaign to demonize my country, my religion, and my people has left me feeling like more of a stranger than I have ever felt in a society that doesn't seem to be welcoming any more. Ninety percent of the time when there is something about my country on TV or in a newspaper, it's either a half truth, a horrendous exaggeration, or a straight out lie. The media has picked its enemies, and we're at the top of the list. No country is without problems, but what is being said about Saudi Arabia is outrageous.

Ambah's article reminded me of the Saudi Arabia I know, the people I have grown up amongst and loved, the compassion and sincerity that is as abundant as the sand in our deserts.

I felt obliged to write to thank you. Thank you for contributing to building an understanding between people. And I emphasize the word "people". Thank you for allowing this undistorted image of the way religion affects the people of Saudi Arabia to be presented to your readership. This article was an island (like the October 2003 National Geographic special feature) of objectivity in an extremely subjective coverage of life in Saudi Arabia.
– M. Taibah

I would like to thank you for your incredible coverage of the assault in Fallujah. I read nearly 5 newspapers a day, and I am amazed to discover what questionable information even respectable news sources ... will publish as fact. It is unfortunate it should be so difficult to find accurate coverage of Iraq. I believe Scott Peterson is one of the best reporters I have read in years.

Thank You.
– Ben Skirvin

I truly appreciate your publication and its (in my experience) neutral reporting. I wish to have the facts and form from them my own opinions. Your website is very clear and friendly. The occasion that inspired me to write is my visit, through agency of a Google search, to your web page on neoconservatism at http://www.csmonitor.com/specials/neocon/index.html. What an information rich and user-friendly page! Congratulations on, and thanks for, your clear reporting.
– Greg Morgan

I am a senior in high school at Malcolm, Nebraska. I use your website as a reference for competitive speech. I've used it for about the past 3 years and have just now begun to appreciate just how good your site is. The content and analysis are fantastic, giving me an in-depth view on the topic. But what I appreciate the most, and what drove me to write this "thank you note", is your printing feature. (I click to open the article in a new window, and as soon as I hit the printer-friendly button, the printable version pops up, consuming the original window and leaving me only one window to close and one more button to push.) You are the only website we use that has this feature. I would just once again like to thank you for making the process of finding references easy, and please continue the fantastic work you do.
– Jason Rippe

I want to thank Scott Peterson in Iraq for helping my daughter, Stephanie Kuykendal, last week when she want injured by an IED which hit the vehicle she was riding in near Fallujah. Stephanie is a photojournalist who was embedded with Marine troops. I was instant messaging with her yesterday and she told me how Scott took care of her after the explosion. The article that Scott wrote titled, "US troops move toward Fallujah" was an excellent article. Thank you again Scott.
– Janet Kuykendal

I have subscribed to the Monitor since I was a college student in the 70s. In this post-election period, as ever, you are an outstanding example of evenhanded, principled journalism.

Please keep up the good work.
– E. C. Brandon

This note is a short addition to the chorus of praise for your "Talking with the Enemy" series. I cared passionately about the outcome of this election, and your articles were constant reminders passion has to exist with at least an openness to other views or we are truly in deep trouble. It's not an easy position that you advocate, but it certainly is important. Thank you for running this series.
– Chambliss Neil

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