- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Lake County News political letters and statements policy
Individuals who are running for office may submit an announcement story for inclusion in the news section or commentary section of Lake County News.
To be considered for the news section, these statements must be written in the third person, and avoid both the overuse of adjectives and exclamation marks.
They should be submitted no later than one month preceding the election. Last-minute submissions are discouraged due to the potential for creating the appearance of bias and favoritism on the part of our publication.
Candidates’ commentaries may be written in the first person and may be submitted up to the normal letters and commentary pre-election deadline.
While the goal is to allow candidates to introduce themselves, the editor reserves the right to edit them as necessary for format and grammar and will address factual errors.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters to the editor are welcomed on an ongoing basis during campaigns, but must adhere to the deadlines outlined below.
While letters emphasize opinions, they should adhere to fact.
Letters should be submitted as text documents — not phone texts. Letters sent as image files, phone texts or social media posts (Facebook, X, Instagram, etc.) may be rejected.
To be considered for publication, letters to the editor must have the following:
• They must be signed by at least one person. If the writer is representing a group, additional names may also be listed. Generally, group letters include up to six signatories, but in certain circumstances, may include more.
• They must include a phone number and email in the event the editor needs to contact them.
• They must include a city or town of residence, as determined by the letter writer’s residential zip code. Only cities and Census-designated places are considered accurate residential addresses.
Submit letters and guest commentaries via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
COMMENTARY
Like letters, guest editorials/commentaries must be signed by at least one person, with a city/town of residence based on zip code and a phone number and email in case the editor needs to contact them.
ENDORSEMENT STATEMENTS
We decline to accept endorsements as community news items.
All endorsement statements must be signed as letters or commentaries, with the signature of at least one writer or multiple writers in the case of committees.
MULTIPLE LETTERS FROM ONE WRITER
Lake County News does not publish more than one letter from a single letter writer within a two-week period. This is particularly enforced during elections.
DEADLINES
Publication of all political submissions ends 48 hours ahead of an election. Only in situations where news coverage is pertinent will publication related to the races be published.
Letters or commentaries should be submitted well in advance of that deadline. In order to ensure publication, the deadline for letter and commentary submissions is 5 p.m. the Friday preceding a Tuesday election.
PAID ADVERTISEMENTS/SPONSORED CONTENT
We do not offer sponsored content. Paid advertisement is separate and distinct from news coverage.
POLICIES SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Lake County News reviews and updates its policies on a regular basis. It reserves the right to adjust its policies at any time in order to adapt to, or respond appropriately to, circumstances that may arise within the course of its political coverage.