Newspaper policies update

Another year has nearly come and gone, and it's time to give you an explanation of our editorial policies at the Hungry Horse News. You will find the names of dozens, and sometimes more than 100 people who live in the northern part of the Flathead Valley in each issue of the newspaper. Here's a look at what we feel is important to get to our readers.

You will see that in this week's issue there are eight obituaries. Some weeks we have none to report. The eight this week are a high in my 4 1/2 months as managing editor of the Hungry Horse News. We strive for accuracy in everything you see in the newspaper. It is vital that all the information in obituaries is correct. Families of the loved one that they have lost clip and save the obituaries. We want those families to have a keepsake that accurately represents and celebrates the life of the loved one they lost. Sometimes obituaries appear in the Horse after services are held, but that happens with a weekly newspaper. Our deadline for getting an obit in the paper is noon Tuesdays.

Often appearing on the same page as obituaries are births. They are in the paper on a space-available basis. Sometimes they get backed up and don't get in as quickly as we would like. But they will be in the Hungry Horse News as soon as possible. That's another part of the paper that is often clipped and saved. Generally, only new babies whose parents or grandparents live in Columbia Falls, Hungry Horse, Coram, Martin City or West Glacier appear in the paper, as well as Polebridge and other areas adjacent to or in Glacier National Park.

Yesterdays is a popular section of the Hungry Horse News. It's interesting reading, especially for long-time residents of northern Flathead County and descendants of folks who had roots in the valley. The old Mel Ruder photos are also fun. This week, due to the number of obituaries, we had to hold the Yesterdays feature. It will return next week.

Here's a reminder about letters to the editor. There is generally a 350-word limit. Depending on the content, we might allow a little more. We often get letters from people who live quite a distance from the Flathead, and those letters seldom make it to the paper. If you do have an "extended" opinion on a subject or issue and write more than 350 words, we might be able to use your letter as a "Speaking Out" entry. In most cases, we only allow one letter to the editor from someone once in a 30-day period.

In terms of news stories, we do our best to report all the facts that are available. If we report something that is in error, we will publish a correction if the error is brought to our attention. E-mail is preferred, but we will accept faxed and hand-written copy.

Our absolute deadline for submitting information for news stories and letters to the editor is noon on Tuesday for that week's edition. We would appreciate getting the editorial copy by Monday night so we have ample time to prepare it for print.

You might wonder why a photograph in the Horse is in black and white rather than color. Editorial has no control over which pages will allow color photos. We use our discretion when placing photos on pages, looking for pages that allow color for our best shots — photos that would look best if reproduced in color. We take pride in the quality of photos in the Hungry Horse News.

Input on our editorial policies are welcome. Send me an e-mail at editor@hungryhorsenews.com. I'll read it and send a response.

As a reminder, if you don't subscribe to the Hungry Horse News, it's a good time to get the newspaper each week by mail. For each new one- or two-year subscription purchased before Christmas, we will donate $10 to the Flathead County Toys For Tots program. A subscription is a great holiday gift idea. Call 892-2151 to subscribe.

Joe Sova is the managing editor of the Hungry Horse News.