Matt Rylatt asks if it would be cruel to suggest frequent Press letter writers correspond directly with each other and not via the pages of the local newspaper (Letters, January 7).

It would not be cruel but it would be stupid for reasons obvious to anyone with a modicum of intelligence.

A free press is a cornerstone of democratic society. And a letters section to stimulate public debate is itself a cornerstone of the printed press.

It appears Mr Rylatt is suggesting people who express views he dislikes should not be allowed to have their comments published in newspapers and that only his words should appear in print?

Matthew Laverack, Lord Mayors Walk, York