民主參與媒介理論倡議個人和弱勢社群應擁有「媒介接近使用權」。但報紙投書版的內容受媒介立場、議題設定以及主要媒體集中台灣北部等因素影響，是否可能漠視台灣南部地方的需求？是否扭曲地方的觀點？以致剝奪南台灣社群平等發言的機會。本研究旨在檢視我國報紙南台灣言論「近用權」是否遭遇不平等的現象？因此，採內容分析法，間隔抽樣二週國內四家主要報紙讀者投書版。發現國內報紙投書版意見往往呈現北部都會菁英的觀點；且南台灣民眾輿論近七成由大學教師、研究生、政治人物、管理階層等知識、政經菁英階級壟斷；其言論出現的版面超過半數位於版面下緣，且逾八成的南方觀點的版面面積小於200平方公分。此外，南部民眾意見以政治、選舉與意識形態議題以及司法、犯罪等兩大類議題為主，南部地方事務或社群活動的討論較難受到全國性報紙的青睞與關注。 總之，報紙投書版中的南台灣民眾意見呈邊陲化、菁英化、意識型態、司法犯罪議題的畸型現象。此現象可能扭曲一般民眾對南台灣地方公共議題的認知與關注，降低民眾對社群事務的參與，無助於地方自治、區域對話整合及市民意識凝聚。

Democratic-participant media theory suggests that individual and minority groups ought to have the right of access to the media. Nevertheless, will the factors such as the media standpoints, news agenda and location restrict the local community‘s voices, and even deprive of their rights to speak for their southern communities? Content analysis was conducted from the letters to editors in the op-ed. in the four major national newspapers in Taiwan. The study found that most of the letters are written by the northern metropolitan elites. The opinions expressed by southerners are almost written by politic and intellectual elites such as professors, graduate school students, politicos, management classes. The letters are often lain in the bottom of the op-ed. Over eighty percent of the southern opinions are less than 200 cm2 in the layout of the printed op-ed. page. Besides, most of these southern voices are riveted on the politics, elections, ideologies, justices, and criminal issues. The editors of op-ed. pay little attention to the community affairs and activities to the southern Taiwan. To sum up, the southern Taiwan‘s voices in the op-ed. are peripheral, elite‘s view- points, ideology struggles and social problems. It could distort the publics‘ acknowledge and concern to the southern community, and decrease the participation to the community.