Letters to the Editor

FAIRNESS, ANONYMITY AND RESPECT POLICIES

In order to provide fair, comprehensive, factual coverage:

Fairness

1. The Gazette will not publish hearsay — that is, allegations not based on the author’s first-hand observation.
2. Nor will we publish accusations that are unnecessary, not specific or are not substantiated by factual assertions. The Gazette will not publish gratuitous personalization. That is, no unnecessary naming of Coop members in polemical letters and articles. Writers must address ideas not persons.
3. Submissions that make substantive accusations against specific individuals, necessary to make the point of the submission and within the Fairness, Anonymity and Respect policies will be given to those persons to enable them to write a response, and both submissions and response will be published simultaneously. This means that the original submission may not appear until the issue after the one for which it was submitted.

Anonymity

Unattributed letters will not be published unless the Gazette knows the identity of the writer, and therefore must be signed when submitted (giving phone number). Such letters will be published only where a reason is given to the editor as to why public identification of the writer would impose an unfair burden of embarrassment or difficulty. Such letters must relate to Coop issues and avoid any non-constructive, non-cooperative language.

Respect

Submissions to the Gazette must not be hateful, racist, sexist, otherwise discriminatory, inflammatory or needlessly provocative. They may not be personally derogatory or insulting, even when strongly criticizing an individual member’s actions.

The Gazette is a collaboration among Coop members. When submitting, please consider the impact of your words on the writers, editors and production staff who use our limited workslot time to try to produce an informative and cooperative publication that reflects the values of our Coop community.