THE STUDY HAD THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES: (1) TO CONSTRUCT A SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF PERSONS WHO CONTACT THE NEWSPAPER OMBUDSMAN WITH PROBLEMS; (2) TO DISCOVER WHAT BARRIERS ARE ENCOUNTERED AND WHAT OTHER COMPLAINT CHANNELS ARE USED PRIOR TO CONTACTING THE NEWSPAPER; AND (3) TO DETERMINE THE CLIENTS' VIEWS ABOUT THE WAY IN WHICH THE ACTION LINE COLUMNIST RESOLVED THEIR COMPLAINTS. THE 'SOUND OFF' COLUMN IS CARRIED IN THE 'LONDON FREE PRESS,' WHICH SERVES A METROPOLITAN AREA OF 286,000 AS WELL AS A CONSIDERABLE RURAL POPULATION IN WESTERN ONTARIO. AT THE TIME THE DATA WERE GATHERED, THE COLUMN RECEIVED APPROXIMATELY 5,000 LETTERS PER YEAR. STUDY SUBJECTS, CHOSEN AT RANDOM, INCLUDED 282 PERSONS WHO HAD FILED WRITTEN COMPLAINTS WITH THE COLUMN BETWEEN OCTOBER 1970 AND JANUARY 1971. STUDY FINDINGS SHOW THAT ACTION LINE CLIENTS ARE PRIMARILY YOUNG ADULTS, MORE LIKELY FEMALE THAN MALE, AND SOMEWHAT BETTER EDUCATED THAN THE GENERAL PUBLIC. SOCIALLY ADVANTAGED CLIENTS ARE LEAST BENEFITED BY THE SERVICE, PRESUMABLY BECAUSE THEY USE IT TO SOLVE MORE DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. A SURPRISINGLY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS (90.8 PERCENT) ATTEMPTED TO COPE WITH THEIR PROBLEMS BY DIRECT, TWO-PARTY NEGOTIATION PRIOR TO CONTACTING THE NEWSPAPER. NEARLY 75 PERCENT OF THE RESPONDENTS FELT SUFFICIENTLY SATISFIED WITH THE OMBUDSMAN SERVICE TO USE IT AGAIN. DATA ON COMPLAINTS AND RESPONSES SUGGEST THAT THE NEWSPAPER OMBUDSMAN WORKS BETTER AS A FACILITATOR OF COMMUNICATION THAN AS A MEDIATOR OF DISPUTES. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED.