PACKET EDITORIAL, Aug. 19
In the spirit of fairness to all candidates, and with an eye toward providing the best service to our readers, The Packet has a set of ground rules for coverage of local election campaigns.
Under the guidelines, The Packet commits to certain elements of news coverage. We are committed to writing and publishing stories before the deadlines for filing nominating petitions, to give all citizens adequate notice of the opportunity to participate. We are committed to providing background information on all known major candidates, including stories on the basic positions taken by each, and writing news stories on the issues raised during the campaign.
Space permitting, we will make every effort to list key political events candidates’ nights, fund raisers, appointment of key campaign personnel, major political endorsements and the like in an effort to provide balanced and well-rounded coverage of the election campaign.
In addition, The Packet will strive to stimulate discussion of the issues during campaigns through independent research and initiative articles.
When appropriate, editorial endorsements will be considered. In all cases in which we decide to endorse candidates, endorsements will be based on personal interviews that include at least one member of the editorial staff, as well as the reporter covering the campaign. Endorsements of candidates will be published at least one full week before any election, leaving the final week for rebuttal.
News releases and campaign position papers from candidates are always welcome. They may be used at the editor’s discretion as resource material by the staff in the preparation of balanced, issues-oriented news stories throughout the course of the campaign.
Letters to the editor will be monitored closely during campaigns in an effort to reserve this space for issues-oriented discussion among readers. Letters in support of specific candidates or parties will be considered for publication only if they add to discussion of campaign issues. Letters containing personal attacks will not be printed.
Letters from candidates themselves dealing directly with issues, or responding to specific arguments raised in previous letters, will be considered for publication in the "Candidates Forum" section of the editorial and op-ed pages. No more than three "Candidates Forum" submissions from any individual candidate will be published between the primary election in June and the general election in November.
Story use, timing and treatment are entirely at the discretion of the managing editor. All letters, regardless of author or subject matter, and all "Candidates Forum" submissions, are limited to 500 words.
Every effort will be made to avoid the initial raising of controversial or sensational issues in the final edition before an election.
Our aim is to focus on what the potential voter needs to know, not on what the candidates want to say. While we sometimes receive complaints from politicians and political activists who feel this policy limits their ability to communicate with the voting public, we believe that careful adherence to this policy allows us to deliver the kind of campaign coverage our readers want and deserve.
These guidelines reflect the reader service objectives of The Packet in local elections, school and municipal. Comments on them are welcome and will be considered for the future as The Packet continues to re-evaluate its policies and practices in an effort to produce the most useful news product possible for our readers. Please address comments to Editorial Board, The Princeton Packet Inc., Box 350, Princeton, NJ 08542.