- General
a. The Clarion recognizes their role and conduits for the expression of student opinion. Therefore, the letters to the editor shall always be conducted in as fair and responsible a manner as possible.
b. The Clarion accepts all letters addressed to the editor but reserve the right to determine the content of their publications, including the letters section.
c. The decision to publish a letter shall not be based on the letter’s agreement with the editorial positions of the Clarion.
d. The letters section shall not become a propaganda outlet for any individual or pressure group. - Submission of letters
a. Any person other than Clarion staff members may submit a letter to the Clarion.
b. All letters must be accompanied by the writer’s name, address and telephone number. If the letter is from a student, then Clarion prefers to know the student’s major and year in college or any other significant identification, such as if the author is president of the honor society.
c. Student letters must include a student ID number.
d. Every attempt will be made to run all letters received prior to the publication deadline. - Acceptance of letters
a. The Clarion accepts all letters initially, but will request revisions of letters that are not publishable as submitted. Letters that are not publishable
include the following:
- Letters that are obscene, libelous, incomprehensible and racially, sexually or religiously offensive.
- Literary endeavors, poetry, publicity releases and spam.
- Any other material that the Editorial Board may deem not to be a letter.
- Letters rejected by the editor-in-chief for specific reasons to be stated in writing.
The Clarion may request revisions of letters that would be publishable as submitted, but may reflect badly on the publications because of language structure and/or usage or because of verbosity.
Letters are generally published as submitted although minor corrections may be made if the content is not violated by such changes.
- Selection of letters for publication
a. The Clarion will make a good-faith attempt to publish all letters that are not in violation of this policy.
b. However, because of space limitations, it may not always be possible to print all acceptable letters. In such cases, the letters to be published will be selected by the editor-in-chief and the opinions editor.
c. The proper use of logic and the accuracy of facts as well as probable reader interest and consequence shall be of primary importance in the selection of letters for publication when space restrictions prevent publication of all letters. Inaccuracies and/or improper use of logic shall constitute grounds for exclusion from publication.
d. If two or more letters on the same subject are received, and space is a problem, the letter(s) to be published shall be selected in accordance with the foregoing and the following criteria and procedures:
- If there are both pro and con letters, those that best present the arguments for their respective sides shall be
published. - If only one side of an issue is addressed, then that (or those) that best present the issues shall be published.
- The editor in chief and the opinions editor may seek the advice of other editors, Editorial Board and/or the advisers in selection of letters for publication.
- Nothing in this section of policy shall be construed as excluding the possibility of a large number of letters addressing the same subject being published. The consequence and importance of an issue to the readership shall be a guide in determining whether many letters are justified.
If limited space makes it impossible to publish all letters, those letters that will be of most immediate interest and/or consequence to the community shall have priority. Those letters not printed may be held for the next issue or published online.
In general, letters from on-campus writers have priority over those written by off-campus writers.
- Referral of letters to Editorial Board
a. Letters that are referred to Editorial Board by the opinions editor or the editor in chief shall be copied and each member of the board shall receive a copy of the letter(s) under consideration.
b. Matters of questionable taste, possible libel and/or obscenity shall be referred to Editorial Board for discussion and a vote.
c. Any letter that appears irrelevant shall be referred to Editorial Board for discussion and a vote on whether to publish it.
d. Letters dealing with individuals or an individual’s behavior must be reviewed by Editorial Board.
e. The Editorial Board shall decide whether the Clarion will withhold a letter writer’s name upon his/her request.
f. The letter writer shall be informed of the board’s decision as soon as possible.
g. If the board decides that the writer’s name cannot be
withheld, then the writer shall be given the opportunity to withdraw the letter. - Editor’s notes
a. The purpose of the editor’s note shall be
- To correct inaccuracies
- To respond to questions or requests for information
- To provide further explanation of the issues discussed in the letter
- To make any comment about the letter that the Editorial Board shall deem necessary.
All editor’s notes shall come before the Editorial Board for approval.
Editor’s notes may be kept as brief as possible and are to be used rarely and only for serious reasons.
- Miscellaneous
a. In order to promote diversity in subject matter, the Clarion shall typically limit discussion of any one subject to three consecutive issues of the paper.
b. If an organization submits a letter as an organization, it must be
signed by the organization president in order to be published.
c. The Clarion shall not print pen names or pseudonyms.
d. The letters section will not be used as an ongoing public forum serving the interests of an individual or an organization.
Letters to the editor may be sent to the Clarion at contact@ccclarion.com.