Submitting your opinion
The Statesman Journal welcomes letters, brief rants and guest opinions, particularly from people who live, work or attend school in the Mid-Valley.
We receive thousands of letters every year. Not all can be published. Here are tips for increasing the odds that your submission will be published:
— Write about a current issue of widespread local interest.
— Make it original. Write it yourself. Don't submit copies of letters submitted elsewhere. Don't use a form letter from an organization. If we think your letter sounds like part of a campaign, it doesn't stand a chance.
— State your view instead of quoting others. We do not publish extensive quotations.
— Set an example by being civil. There's an important distinction between referring to a policy as idiotic and calling someone an idiot.
— If you're referring to a previous item in the Statesman Journal, please include the date and title of that item and whether it was in print or online.
— Remember that all submissions are subject to editing for length, grammar, accuracy, libel concerns, clarity and other issues. (Unfortunately, because of time constraints, we cannot offer you pre-publication review of your edited submission. Everything published in a newspaper is subject to editing, and editing often happens on deadline.)
— A submission, even if it falls within our word limits, still might have to be shortened for publication due to space configurations on that day.
— E-mail submissions are greatly preferred because we don't have to retype them into our publishing system. Use StatesmanJournal.com/letters or send an e-mail with your letter, rant or guest opinion to letters@StatesmanJournal.com. We cannot accept WordPerfect or PDF letters.
Here are additional guidelines:
Length: 200 words or fewer for letters; 500 words or fewer for guest opinions.
Include: Your first and last name, street and mailing addresses, town, and day and evening telephone numbers. The addresses and telephone numbers are for verifying the letters; we publish your name and town. We do not run anonymous letters, ones with inaccurate or incomplete names, or ones whose authorship we have been unable to verify.
Guest opinions: If we publish your guest opinion, we will need a photo of you and brief information about you and your relationship to the subject being discussed. Also, include a publishable e-mail address or another way for readers to contact you. We allow up to two authors for guest opinions; we will need individual photos of each author.
Rants: Pithy thoughts. Stay away from election issues.
Frequency: You may submit one letter every 30 days.
Who can write: Preference is given to people living or working in Marion and Polk counties.
How to submit items:Click here to submit a letter online. They can also be mailed to Letters to the Editor, Statesman Journal, 340 Vista Ave SE, Suite 200, Salem, OR 97302; or sent by e-mail to letters@StatesmanJournal.com.
What isn't published: Most submissions from outside Marion and Polk counties; reprints or copies of letters or columns, especially ones sent to others; form letters and ones that are part of an overt mail campaign; most quotations; poetry; open letters or letters addressed to or aimed at a specific individual or business instead of being written for the general public.
We also generally do not publish letters that: are written for a class project (we will print a selection as space permits but we can't print all of them); involve private disputes between individuals or businesses, ongoing court cases, custody disputes or current cases involving enforcement agencies; use foul, abusive or racist language or are personal attacks instead of addressing issues; respond to items published or broadcast elsewhere; are vague or contain obviously inaccurate information; or are outdated.
Note to teachers: Please do not grade students' submissions based on whether they are published. It is unfair to base their grades on our decisions, over which they have no control.