Posted: 8/25/04

Election season guidelines for letter writers

It wonít be long until the leaves start to fall and the letters to Open Forum start flowing in. Itís all part of fall and an election year.

In reality, political letters have already commenced. There have been a number of letters in recent weeks that are talking politics. We expect more as the election season draws near.

We encourage letter writers, to be sure, but this week offer some guidelines on how best to get a letter in print and what specific rules must be followed. Below are the political season rules that most ECM Publishers newspapers follow for letters to the editor and related election year business.

ï All Open Forum submissions must be signed, including address of where the writer lives. A telephone number for verification should be submitted. Telephone numbers will not be printed with the letter. E-mail submissions in text format only are encouraged. FAX submissions will be accepted.

ï Whether a letter is published in whole or in part is totally up to editors at each newspaper. The editorís decision is final. Letters are subject to editing for length and grammar. Editors will reject letters deemed libelous (alleging criminal activity, as an example), repetitive in content or involving personal attacks.

ï Open Forum letters should be limited to 250 words.

ï Form letters will not be published.

ï Notices of campaign fund-raisers must be paid advertisements. Fund-raising events will not be covered as news items.

ï Position statements by candidates or other news releases will not be published, but may be used for background on stories, feature articles or editorials.

ï Candidate endorsements, such as an endorsement by a political action committee, will not be published. If endorsements should be public knowledge, candidates may convey that information through paid advertising.

ï No letters to the editor regarding campaign issues will be published in the issue immediately preceding the election.

ï Up to two weeks prior to the election, if letters are submitted containing information or charges that require response or rebuttal, the response will be printed in the same issue in which the letter is published.

ï In most instances, letters signed by candidates will not be accepted, but the candidate will be allowed to submit rebuttal letters in response to a challenge or allegation. In other cases, opinions of the candidates are to be published in a paid advertisement.

ï A special voters guide or stories about the various political contests will be published prior to the election by this newspaper. This special coverage will allow candidates an opportunity to address issues important to the political campaign.

ï Although editors and reporters will gladly meet with candidates as time allows or as necessary for stories or editorials, the newspaper does not guarantee to publish a story or photograph of the meeting.

Here are some other tips for letter writers. One of the top tips is to keep letters short. Write tightly and brightly is the good advice of an old journalism teacher. It clearly applies to Open Forum authors.

If a letter greatly exceeds the 250-word limit and the editor deems it too hard to cut for length, the letter is not likely to be printed unless it has strong merit as a guest column. Length is important. Our space for letters is not endless. More writers will see their opinions published if the letters remain short.

Writers should avoid being repetitious. Donít submit letters that are boilerplate endorsements that follow a form or the subjects of other writers. Try to be original. Tell readers about something special the candidate may have done for you and why the person deserves to be elected.

Writers should not wait until the noon deadline on each Monday to submit a letter. Letters received well in advance of the deadline stand a better chance of making print that week.

If a writer is not certain about the rules for a letter to the editor, please ask before submitting. Itís easy to do. Simply call 651-464-4601 or e-mail: editor.forestlaketimes@ecm-inc.com.

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