 |
It wouldn’t feel right to let November go by with so many questions still unanswered. With that in mind, and still dealing with a tryptophan hangover thanks to turkey leftovers, here’s the latest episode of “Ask the Publisher.”
Q: How does a letter to the editor get published in the Cherokee Scout?
A: It’s as simple as following the policy shown weekly at the bottom of this page. The Scout publishes all letters that are not libelous, vulgar or a personal attack. We also don’t publish form letters, which are usually sent from supporters of advocacy groups. Individuals are allowed one letter per every calendar month.
While 99 percent of all submissions are published, some require more work than others. For example, our word limit on letters is 300; since some writers send in letters at more than 900 words, something has to give. Since that something is usually myself employing the “delete” button, however carefully, I strongly encourage writers to self-edit themselves down to the required length in order to make sure your most important thoughts make it to print.
We’ll occasionally take a longer letter and make it a guest column of up to 450 words; however, individuals are only allowed one guest column every three months. Our preference is for guest columns concerning local people and local issues, which means your personal take on national politics is unlikely to be given guest column status unless you have firsthand information on the subject.
Under no circumstances does the Scout not publish something because we disagree with it, which should be obvious considering the diversity of viewpoints on our Opinions pages. At the same time, it should also be obvious that we do not necessarily agree with the viewpoints expressed and do not in any way guarantee their accuracy. While the Scout does not have nearly enough resources to fact-check every item in every letter, we do spot-checks for accuracy and plagiarism.
In recent years, more residents have wanted to publish letters that far exceed our word limits. In order to do that, they have to purchase a paid advertisement, which is noted with the letter when published for transparency. And ads have to meet the same standards as letters.
Important note: All letters – as well as columns written by staff and others – are placed on pages clearly marked “Opinions,” again for more obvious reasons. We take that separation seriously.
Q: How does a story or photo get on the front page of the Scout?
A: The quick answer is because I put it there. However, it’s much more than that.
Our news team meets weekly, usually at 2 p.m. Tuesdays, to talk about the following week’s edition. At the time, we plan for what we think the most important stories of the week will be. But by the time the next press deadline rolls around at noon Tuesday, we’re often handling multiple new stories that only emerged after our meeting ended.
Some stories are obvious for the front page, like a raging forest fire, fatal automobile accident or government decision that raises taxes. Others are more nuanced, like a call for more volunteer firefighters, a woman who beat breast cancer and local schools honoring veterans. What they all have in common is they are written about and for the residents and visitors of Cherokee County, N.C.
There are several things we try to keep in mind when putting together the Scout’s front page every week:
- Did we include the most important stories of the week?
- Did we include the most compelling artwork/photos for the week?
- Do we have multiple areas of the county represented?
- Do we have a positive story to help balance out any unfortunate news?
- Does the page’s overall design make the stories easy to read and follow, from the front to the jump?
And, yes, I do look back and sometimes wish we had made a different call on a front-page story – especially in hindsight, after new information becomes available – but nothing is perfect. Our job in every story is to present what you need to know – and by deadline.
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. You can reach him by phone, 828-837-5122; email, dbrown@cherokeescout.com; or on X @daviddBstroh.