It’s election season.
At the Sun, we are proud to promote the rights to vote, run for office and/or be elected to serve.
As part of “The Fourth Estate,” we encourage our readers to become involved in the process. However, The Sun does not endorse any candidate or ballot question, nor is The Sun in favor of or opposed to any candidate or ballot question. Our objective is to remain fair and impartial, and to extend equal and fair treatment to each candidate and ballot question.
As we draw near to the election date of Nov. 4, we offer an outline of our plan for presenting a fair hearing on the issues for the weeks remaining before election day. The plan is a general summary, subject to moderation, depending on what occurs.
In our Oct. 9 edition of The Sun, the local ballot questions will be printed fully, with both the statement for and rebuttals, with the names of the authors and signers.
Readers may further go to the online version of the story at SunNews.Org and post comments (subject to Letters policy, moderation, and approval). We have unlimited space online for our readers’comments/letters.
In The Sun’s Oct. 16 edition, we plan to present Ballot Question Guest Columns, both for and against each Ballot question. (The deadline for us to receive guest columns is 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13). Subject to expanded scope, ballot measure spokespersons are invited to supply a column, 200 words maximum. These may include up to 25 names/signatures of endorsements and supporters, which will run at the end of the guest column.
In the Issue of Oct. 23, The Sun will publish City Council Candidate Statements with a photo, and up to 200 words. (The deadline for the Sun to receive statements from candidates is 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 20). These may also include up to 25 names/signatures of endorsements and supporters, which would run at the end of the candidate supplied statement.
In the Sun’s Oct. 30 edition we plan to present candidate responses to two (2) questions.
“The deadline to receive responses is 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27). Candidates in each district will be supplied two questions (all questions for each district will be the same). If no response is received from the candidate, it will be noted as such in the paper.
In the Sun’s Nov. 6 edition, we plan to present election results. Each candidate will be invited to supply a 200-word post-election statement, with their photo.
Unsolicited campaign press releases may, or may not, be printed, depending solely on our determination of their news value. We will make a reasonable effort to print supplied, brief press releases to announce a campaign event, limited to 75 words and no photos will be accepted (calendar type announcement of an upcoming event).
Candidates’ activities that are “newsworthy,” which is determined at our sole discretion, such as news stories or (but not limited to) a candidate forum may be covered. Such content may, or may not, also appear online at SunNews.Org, and reader comments may, or may not, be enabled, depending on our discretion of news value.
Letters to the Editor that are openly campaigning for or against any candidate or ballot measure will not be printed from now until the issue of Nov. 6. However, readers may go to the online version of the stories at SunNews.Org and post comments (subject to Letters policy, moderation, and approval).
The contact person for any questions, policy issues, complaints, suggestions, and political advertising is Vince Bodiford, the Sun publisher, at publisher@sunnews.org.
The contact person to submit content (candidate statements, endorsement forms, photos, and content) is Dennis Kaiser, The Sun’s editor, at dennis@sunnews.org.
