As one of the only local newspapers in the area, residents turn to us to tell the ongoing story of the community. Our phones constantly ring. We answer all sorts of questions about news around town and how our newspaper tells those stories.
We’ve decided to save some of our readers a phone call and answer some of our frequently asked questions here.
How do reporters decide what to write about?
Some stories are easy, like scheduled council meetings or public forums. Others are pulled from press releases submitted by readers that we decide would be more interesting to readers as a “bylined” story rather than just a news release.
Others are tips from readers who email, call, write, speak or whisper to us around town.
When will my letter to the editor publish?
We cannot predict when a letter to the editor will run because it depends on the volume and when the letter was submitted. I try to publish letters by date we receive them, but that’s not always possible due to space. I have to go with the letter that fits. We do not guarantee every letter will appear in the newspaper.
Letters must include the name, phone number and street address of the author. We sometimes call to clarify details so we need a means to do so.
We do not publish anonymous letters. If you have the passion to believe and write to us about something, have the guts to sign your name, too. The worst thing is getting a good letter that we can’t run because we have no name, no address and no phone number for us to contact the author.
Who draws your political cartoons?
Larson Newspapers’ political cartoons are drawn by Rob Pudim. He receives each of our three publications and draws his cartoons based on what he reads. He does not receive any input from us on content. He reads our newspaper just like any reader would and makes his cartoons relevant to what he reads.
How do I appear in @ Random?
Readers cannot arrange to be featured in @ Random. That would defeat the purpose of randomly selecting a person to interview. To be featured in @ Random, a potential subject needs to be in the right place at the right time, which varies every week.
How do I submit something to be published in the newspaper?
Visit our website and click on “Submissions” and then “Press Releases.” All the information you need can be found there, including where to email your submission.
The No. 1 problem we have is that users often send photos that are too small to run on our press. For our print newspaper, we need photos that are at least 1 megabyte or larger. Images that are smaller, say in the 200 kilobyte range, appear pixelated if we blow them up in size. Photos copied from your Facebook page or website are almost always too small. Send us the original image. A digital camera takes photos in the 2MB to 20MB range, which is perfect if emailed to us at that size.
How do I contact the newspaper with a question or story idea?
Email works best. Reporters’ email addresses are listed at the end of their stories. The entire editorial staff’s telephone extensions are also listed on page 2A of every newspaper.
My email address is editor@larsonnewspapers.com.
