It is unclear to me what Holly Meyers (The Mail, 8/27) is railing about over your cover story about fat cops (“Pounding the Pavement,” 8/20).

I confess I only cursorily glanced at the story, but don’t know if that is essential to my commenting on her response. I don’t see that she accused the Washington City Paper of factual misstatements, timing, or even prejudice. Obviously she was offended by the article’s tenor and attitude. Each of these terms—and I could add more—has a separate and distinct meaning.

As a lifelong consumer of press and a continuing “amateur” journalist from high-school days to the present (55 years) I have learned much, including what a niche is. I read the Washington Post daily for news and Op-Ed and the like, but for punch and hilarity (we all slip and fall on the banana peel sometimes) I go to the Washington City Paper. Without Loose Lips, life would be drab. My friends feel the same way.

As a former public librarian, I used to tell persons offended by a book’s content not to read it, but not to stand in the way of others. I’ll tell Meyers the same thing: If you don’t like what you read, don’t read it. But don’t try to tell others how to do their jobs. Maybe they really know better than you.

Incidentally, Ms. Meyers, you might consider getting a good thesaurus. Then you wouldn’t have to resort to repeating yourself. Of course, one of your crudités wouldn’t appear in a respectable book.

Southwest