Election coverage guidelines place reader needs first

PACKET EDITORIAL, June 29

   In the spirit of fairness to all candidates and with an eye toward providing the best service to readers, this newspaper has established a set of ground rules for news coverage of local election campaigns.
   Under the guidelines, this newspaper commits to certain elements of news coverage, including providing background information on all known major candidates in an upcoming edition.
   News releases and candidates’ position statements (including candidates’ letters to the editor) are always welcome. They will be used at the editor’s discretion as resource material for stories written by the staff or in the Letters to the Editor column. Selection, timing and treatment are entirely at the discretion of the editor.
   Every effort will be made to avoid the initial raising of controversial or sensational issues in the final edition before the election. That week’s edition is known as the "rebuttal" week edition, when only comments by readers and candidates on issues previously raised in this newspaper will be permitted.
   The Letters to the Editor column will be monitored closely during this campaign season in an effort to reserve this space for issue-oriented discussion among readers. Letters from candidates will be considered campaign statements and will be presented as such — unless their only purpose is to object to news coverage of the campaign. All letters — which should be no longer than 500 words in length — will be subject to editing and must be signed by the writer and include the writer’s street and town of residence. A phone number for confirmation must be also be provided but will not be published.
   What potential voters want to know will always be given priority over what the candidates want to say.
   These guidelines reflect the reader service objectives of all Packet newspapers in local elections, school and municipal. Comments on them are welcome and will be considered for the future as this newspaper continues to re-evaluate its policies and practices in an effort to produce the most useful news product possible for its readers.
   Please address comments to: Editorial Board, The Princeton Packet Inc., P.O. Box 350, Princeton 08542.