Letter to the Editor policy updated companywide

The Merrill Foto News, while focused on hyper-local Merrill news with local people on-staff to maintain that focus, is owned by Multi Media Channels which is headquartered in Waupaca and also owns a network of community newspapers, shoppers, websites, and specialty magazines throughout Northern, Central and Eastern Wisconsin. Recently, to avoid confusion across all markets, a companywide policy for Letters to the Editor was adopted. This is just a slight tweak of the policy that was previously in effect for the Merrill Foto News, so not much will change. The updated policy goes into effect immediately.
We are printing an updated copy of the new policy for both free and political/paid Letters to the Editor and will do so for the entirety of the election season, with or without any letters that come in for publication, per the request of our publisher.

Letters to the Editor
We welcome letters to the Editor, a chance for members of the community to comment on issues of concern to them. All letters must be original, not duplications of letters addressed to public officials or written by others. The views and opinions expressed are those of the letter writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication, its publishers, Editor, or staff.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY:

• Letters to the Editor must include the writer’s full name, address, and other contact information (only your name and town will appear in print and online). We will not accept a letter from an unidentified source.
• Letters should be no more than 500 words and may appear in our weekly print issue.
• Letters may be edited by our staff for length, clarity, and facts.
• The Merrill Foto News will only print letters that address a specific issue or article that may be of interest to the bulk of our readers.
• Submit Letters to the Editor Here: Via email to: tscott@mmclocal.com or via mail or by dropping it off at our office: Merrill Foto News, 2011 E. Main St., Merrill WI 54452.
• We will not print letters that:
  Contain potentially libelous material. Libel is any malicious, unsubstantiated, or untrue statement about someone that damages their reputation. Submissions must have facts to back up all claims.
  
  Support discrimination on any grounds. This includes, but is not limited to, discrimination based on age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or culture.
  Are vulgar, profane, obscene, or otherwise offensive.
  Make explicit or implied threats. This includes personal attacks, intimidation, bullying, or threat of harm against a person or organization.
  Contain copyrighted material or that have been printed in another publication. All Letters must be an original writing by the signer and exclusive to Merrill Foto News.
  Identifies another person, unless that person has given their explicit consent. We assume that any person identified in a letter has consented to be mentioned in the letter.

Copyright and reprint permission

The writer of a Letter to the Editor maintains copyright of their letter. Any other individual or organization must seek permission from the writer if they wish to reprint a Letter to the Editor.

POLITICAL LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY:

All letters submitted as an endorsement for a political candidate, referendum, or political agenda will carry the same guidelines as above, except that they may be longer; however, they will be charged $40 for the first 250 words and an additional $10 per additional 50 words. All political letters must be prepaid prior to printing. Some submissions may be referred to our advertising department to be run as ads.