Richland Source hasn’t celebrated its first birthday. Not only are we new, in the newsroom we’re also fresh. We’re delighted the Richland County community likes us — whether you meet us in person, on our site, or on social media. But in terms of freshness, you may not know what to expect from our political coverage. To be honest, with a young reporting staff, sometimes we don’t know, either. And that’s OK with us.
We like that the staff perspectives here are developing. As for the entire staff, and I’ll confess to being the oldest, of course we represent differing political views, whether formed or not. But when it comes to reporting, we make every effort to ensure fairness in coverage of the candidates and issues during elections. We all believe in the mission to promote and connect Richland County.
Journalistic ethics are built on the belief that the purpose of journalism is to serve the community. The purpose of political journalism is to give citizens the information they need to participate in civic affairs. And yes, I know, many news organizations are labeled “conservative” or “liberal.” And yes, I know, most individuals lean one way or the other. But our pledge at Richland Source is simple.
We’re going to do our best to serve the people and to provide fair, accurate coverage. I happen to know for a fact that at least two of us have opposing views, and we happen to work very well together as a team. That teamwork will help Richland Source strive to be fair and balanced.
To be fair to candidates and issues, we are providing our policy for letters to the editor and political endorsements at left. As the May primary approaches, please be advised: We will equally support in our publication the voices of people and the candidates, provided that they are presented accordingly.
Letters to the editor writers should keep the following points in mind:
All letters must be 300 words or less.
The name, address and phone number of the letter writer must be included for verification. No unsigned election letters will be printed.
We limit letters to those written by residents in the election area.
Obvious form-type or campaign-generated letters will be used at the editor’s discretion.
All letters will be edited for AP style and word choice.
We reserve the right to withhold publication of letters that are potentially libelous.
The last day on which election-related letters to the editor will be published for the May 6 Primary is April 30.
Letters can be submitted by mailing to Richland Source, 21 Temple Court, Mansfield, OH 44902 or e-mailing news@richlandsource.com.
Political letters and endorsements will be published in this section following these guidelines.
