The following are the editorial and advertising policies of The GUSTAVIAN WEEKLY.

Purpose

THE GUSTAVIAN WEEKLY is a student-run, written and produced campus newspaper that attempts to bring the community comprehensive coverage of the news and events affecting our campus. THE WEEKLY is not only an extra-curricular activity, but also a service to the college community in general and the student body in particular. The editors invite interested students to become involved in the production of THE WEEKLY. Interested students should contact the editor-in-chief (weekly@gustavus.edu).

Content

The editors reserve the right to make any and all decisions and editorial changes on newspaper content (with final decisions belonging to the editor-in-chief). Assigned articles and photographs will take precedence over freelance material. Security reports will be published in cooperation with Campus Safety and with every effort to ensure confidentiality. THE WEEKLY will strive for balanced coverage of campus life, but realizes the limitations imposed by student life, deadlines and the availability of reporters, photographers and sources. Suggestions concerning THE WEEKLY’S content, format, story ideas or general improvements are welcomed through campus mail or e-mail from faculty, administrators and students.

Editorials

The calendar page is considered editorial. The opinions expressed therein are the opinions of the calendar editor(s). THE WEEKLY Editorial is a periodically printed opinion section, intended to address campus and outside events deemed consequential. The opinions expressed in this section are of the Weekly Editorial Board only.

Staff Writing

THE WEEKLY will attempt to produce the most journalistic, well-written and informative articles possible. The editors and community should be aware, however, that THE WEEKLY is a college newspaper and a training ground for students. The staff aims to meet professional journalistic standards but cannot reasonably be expected to succeed in all situations. Constructive criticism can help us learn from our mistakes, while ridicule is of little value. Cognizant of the potential for conflict of interest in a small student body, THE WEEKLY will strive for objectivity in its reporting. Writers with a special interest in a particular organization will not write articles relating to that organization, otherwise an editor’s note following the article will disclose the writer’s involvement. The staff and editors will attempt to be responsible commentators on issues affecting the college community and encourage others to do the same. Accordingly, THE WEEKLY encourages the submission of letters to the editor.

Letters to the Editor

Space will be provided for letters to the editor. However their inclusion is at the discretion of the editor-in-chief. Letters will be printed as submitted unless the editors choose to delete words or portions that are in poor taste, libelous or unnecessary to convey essential meaning. Letters should be no longer than 300 words (typed and single-spaced). The editors may condense longer letters. Letters must include the author’s name and telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be accepted. The author’s name will appear with the letter. Statement of fact and opinion in letters to the editor, editorials and commentaries are the responsibility of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of THE WEEKLY staff, the college, its faculty or staff or the student body. Letters must be received by 5 p.m. on the Monday prior to the publication. Letters to the Editor should be sent to lettertotheeditor@gustavus.edu.

Columnists and Cartoonists

The content of columns is presumed to be the opinion of the columnists and not necessarily that of the editors. The content of the cartoons is also presumed to be the opinions of the cartoonists and not necessarily that of the editors. While the editors respect the rights of the columnists and cartoonists to express their opinions, the editors will apply to the columns and cartoons the same editorial standards applied to other parts of the newspaper. Letters to the editor are the proper vehicles for occasional expressions of opinion; a regular column or cartoon is a privileged forum available to those willing to commit themselves.

Blogs

The content of online web logs (blogs) is presumed to be the opinion of the columnists and not necessarily that of the editors or the newspaper as a whole. Like columns, blogs are a privileged forum for those who are willing to commit themselves and have demonstrated some capability in the field of journalism. Bloggers are expected to apply the same ethical and quality standards applied to other areas of the newspaper.

Bylines

All articles and photographs will carry a by-line unless the entire article was taken from a published press release.

Profanity

THE WEEKLY will only print profanity in direct quotes or where deemed necessary to cover the essence of the story. The editor-in-chief reserves the right to edit extreme profanity.

Alcohol

THE WEEKLY will not unreasonably restrict the mention of alcohol in newspaper content, such as references in commentaries or artwork. Sensitive to the fact that most of our readership is under the legal drinking age and aware of the college’s desire to promote responsible lifestyles and inclusive social activities, THE WEEKLY will restrict the inclusion of alcohol references in advertising. In accordance with the college’s Alcohol Policy, THE WEEKLY will not accept advertising which promotes an event where the primary activity is alcohol consumption or encourages the excessive use or abuse of alcohol. The final decision of the intent of an advertisement’s content belongs to the editor-in-chief.

Errors

All factual errors brought to the attention of THE WEEKLY staff will be corrected in the following issue. All corrections for any particular section will be printed on Page 2 of the newspaper.

Advertising

The deadline for ads is 5 p.m. on the Monday prior to publication. Ads may be placed on the online edition. Display ads cost $7.00 per column inch with reduced rates for larger ads and regular advertisements. Campus advertisers will receive a 25 percent discount. THE WEEKLY’S advertising production staff may create and design advertisements for a $10 fee, and will include content desired by the advertiser. Camera-ready or personally prepared ads are also accepted. Advertising will be accepted from campus sources, local businesses and national advertisers. THE WEEKLY reserves the right to refuse certain types of advertising in order to protect readers from fraudulent claims, maintain a high level of journalistic integrity and adhere to college guidelines and THE WEEKLY’S Editorial Policy. With this in mind, THE WEEKLY does not accept advertising which, in its view: degrades either sex; contains attacks of a sexist, racist, personal or religious nature; makes exaggerated or deceptive offers; is of unusual layout size; or, may be confused with regular news material in appearance. THE WEEKLY will not accept advertisements for: term paper or research services, abortion referral services, personal ads involving dating or political campaigns supporting or endorsing a particular candidate. THE WEEKLY reserves the right to stop publishing ads for advertisers who have past due accounts. All decisions regarding questionable advertising shall rest with the editor-in-chief.

Online Edition

THE GUSTAVIAN WEEKLY is published online and updated with every issue. It is the responsibility of the web editor to decide which articles are published online. All decisions regarding layout and content of the online edition rest with the web editor, managing editor and editor-in-chief. Requests for removal of content from the website will be directed to the editor-in-chief; however, it is the general policy to leave all content on the website, except for violations of our comment policy or when required by law. Exceptions may be made under extreme circumstances.