ETIQUETTE

POLITICAL LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – See below.

 

WCI COMMENTING RULES OF ETIQUETTE:

While open and honest debate is encouraged here, Washington County Insider asks that you comply with the following rules for posting. Those who do not comply will have their posts removed and may result in being banned from commenting.

Washington County Insider will not publish comments that:

  • Are considered likely to provoke, attack or offend others. This is known as “trolling.” Trollers know when they are trolling, and so do we. *See definition of “troll” below. If you notice a few consistent blog trolls disappear, you’ll know why.
  • Are sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise objectionable.
  • Contains inappropriate or vulgar language that is likely to offend.
  • Break the law or condone or encourage unlawful activity. This includes breach of copyright, defamation and contempt of court.
  • Advertise products or services for profit.
  • Are seen to impersonate someone else.
  • Repeatedly post the same or similar messages (‘spam’)
  • Include personal contact details such as telephone numbers and postal or email addresses.
  • Include a link or photo that has not been approved by the editor prior to posting.
  • Are considered campaigning. See also “trolling” above.
  • Are unrelated to the topic.

NOTES:

  • Just because your comment doesn’t show up right away doesn’t mean you’re being censored. When you post a comment it must first go through our filtering software. If it fails, your comment goes into a queue for manual approval.
  • Just because a comment or advertisement is on the site, doesn’t mean WCI endorses it.
  • The above rules are not intended to stop criticism or dissenters, but rather to stop those who are incapable of participating in a civilized manner.

 

*Trolling: a troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory,[1] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[2] or of otherwise disrupting normal, on-topic discussion,[3] often for the troll’s amusement. (source: Wikipedia)

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WashingtonCountyInsider.com (WCI) political letters to the editor guidelines 

Letter submission does not guarantee publication. The following guidelines apply:

» WCI accepts letters from individuals only. No letters from groups/organizations.

» Only letters from residents in the WCI coverage area will be accepted, meaning Washington County and its bordering communities.

» You must submit your full name, address, and phone number with your letter. WCI does not accept anonymous letters. Only the name and city of residence will be published. Phone numbers are used for questions/verification purposes and will not be published.

» WCI reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, spelling, language, civility, good taste, libel, and editorial style; however, we will not change content in a way that alters its meaning.

» Send web links or citations for facts or claims stated in the letter for integrity and verification purposes.

» Letters must be original and by the signed author; not part of a letter-writing campaign.

» No more than one election-related letter per contributor will be published through the current election season.

» Letters should be issue-oriented and not personal attacks on a candidate. We will not publish letters that criticize a candidate without endorsing another candidate. We will also not publish letters in poor taste. Accusations against a candidate must be verifiable in order to be published.

» Letters concerning referendums will be published with the caveat your home address must be in the district affected by the referendum.

Email your political/election-related letters to the editor to washcoinsider@gmail.com

All letters to the editor for the November 5, 2024, General Election must be submitted by end of business day, October 25, 2024.

All letters must include a US Postal address and direct cell/phone number for record keeping. All letters regarding the referendum live in the community impacted by the referendum.