News
Opinion
For our readers who resolved to become more active regarding community issues during 2011, here's a suggestion: Write a letter to the editor. The following are a few helpful tips to get your letter published in a timely manner.
1. The purpose of The News-Review's Public Forum is to promote discussion of topics of interest to Douglas County residents. A good letter addresses an issue and offers the writer's insights and opinions. Letters are not chosen on the basis of whether the writer expresses a specific political affiliation. All sides are welcome, as long as the letter sticks to the issues.
2. Note that the first criterion for the forum includes promoting discussion. This means letters attacking other letter writers or individuals may be rejected. Such letters are undesirable because they may be libelous. They also do not encourage a free exchange of ideas. The best letters avoid name-calling and finger-pointing. Instead, they offer pros or cons about an issue and perhaps even suggestions for solving a problem.
3. Published letters appear on the Opinion page. However, writers who state something as fact rather than opinion should be prepared to provide credible documentation, if requested. That documentation must come from a reliable, traceable source. For example, www.factcheck.org is generally trustworthy for political documentation. Please remember that a primary source may be perfectly acceptable, but the blogs and comments following its articles are often not well researched. Those are unlikely to be accepted as documentation.
4. Letters may be contributed electronically through The News-Review website at www.nrtoday.com/letter or by e-mail to Editor Vicki Menard at vmenard@nrtoday.com. If this is not possible, letters may be sent by U.S. Postal Service or hand-delivered. Typed or handwritten letters won't be rejected, but the additional time necessary to process them can delay their publication. Verification is part of that process, so the writer's name, address and valid phone number must be included. Only the name and town is published.
5. Processing also includes adhering to Associated Press style, which is the industry standard. The AP Stylebook is updated annually so changes in usage may appear over time. Here are a few common changes letter writers may see that are due to AP style. Few symbols are used, so the word “percent” replaces the % sign. Words submitted in italics, bold type, quotation marks or all capital letters for emphasis are standardized. The sentences containing such words should convey the writer's meaning without additional emphasis. One exclamation point is no less intense than five, and this punctuation mark is used sparingly. Quotation marks are reserved for exact quotes of specific individuals.
6. The News-Review published 826 letters to the editor in 2010. To publish many letters, topics and perspectives from our community, some restrictions must apply. The Public Forum policy specifies a 300-word limit on letters. If a submission exceeds the limit, it may be returned to the writer with a request that it be trimmed.It may be cut by The News-Review staff to meet the word count or withheld from publication. If a writer offers more than one submission within a 30-day period, the additional letter may be withheld until the 30-day condition is met.
7. Our frequently published letters policy also indicates that letters may be edited. These edits are not done for the purpose of changing the essential meaning of a writer's letter. They are to correct misspelled words, clarify sentences that prevent the reader from fully understanding the writer's intent, or trim to meet required word count. The goal is to help writers express themselves as effectively as possible within the parameters of legal requirements, AP style and the policies of our Public Forum. Our staff will work to maintain the letter writer's intent whenever edits are necessary.
The News-Review encourages its readers to participate in the Public Forum. Get involved in the community. Tell us what issues concern you and what you think can be done to make Douglas County better.
1. The purpose of The News-Review's Public Forum is to promote discussion of topics of interest to Douglas County residents. A good letter addresses an issue and offers the writer's insights and opinions. Letters are not chosen on the basis of whether the writer expresses a specific political affiliation. All sides are welcome, as long as the letter sticks to the issues.
2. Note that the first criterion for the forum includes promoting discussion. This means letters attacking other letter writers or individuals may be rejected. Such letters are undesirable because they may be libelous. They also do not encourage a free exchange of ideas. The best letters avoid name-calling and finger-pointing. Instead, they offer pros or cons about an issue and perhaps even suggestions for solving a problem.
3. Published letters appear on the Opinion page. However, writers who state something as fact rather than opinion should be prepared to provide credible documentation, if requested. That documentation must come from a reliable, traceable source. For example, www.factcheck.org is generally trustworthy for political documentation. Please remember that a primary source may be perfectly acceptable, but the blogs and comments following its articles are often not well researched. Those are unlikely to be accepted as documentation.
4. Letters may be contributed electronically through The News-Review website at www.nrtoday.com/letter or by e-mail to Editor Vicki Menard at vmenard@nrtoday.com. If this is not possible, letters may be sent by U.S. Postal Service or hand-delivered. Typed or handwritten letters won't be rejected, but the additional time necessary to process them can delay their publication. Verification is part of that process, so the writer's name, address and valid phone number must be included. Only the name and town is published.
5. Processing also includes adhering to Associated Press style, which is the industry standard. The AP Stylebook is updated annually so changes in usage may appear over time. Here are a few common changes letter writers may see that are due to AP style. Few symbols are used, so the word “percent” replaces the % sign. Words submitted in italics, bold type, quotation marks or all capital letters for emphasis are standardized. The sentences containing such words should convey the writer's meaning without additional emphasis. One exclamation point is no less intense than five, and this punctuation mark is used sparingly. Quotation marks are reserved for exact quotes of specific individuals.
6. The News-Review published 826 letters to the editor in 2010. To publish many letters, topics and perspectives from our community, some restrictions must apply. The Public Forum policy specifies a 300-word limit on letters. If a submission exceeds the limit, it may be returned to the writer with a request that it be trimmed.It may be cut by The News-Review staff to meet the word count or withheld from publication. If a writer offers more than one submission within a 30-day period, the additional letter may be withheld until the 30-day condition is met.
7. Our frequently published letters policy also indicates that letters may be edited. These edits are not done for the purpose of changing the essential meaning of a writer's letter. They are to correct misspelled words, clarify sentences that prevent the reader from fully understanding the writer's intent, or trim to meet required word count. The goal is to help writers express themselves as effectively as possible within the parameters of legal requirements, AP style and the policies of our Public Forum. Our staff will work to maintain the letter writer's intent whenever edits are necessary.
The News-Review encourages its readers to participate in the Public Forum. Get involved in the community. Tell us what issues concern you and what you think can be done to make Douglas County better.
