During local and county elections (Board of Education, Town Council, county officials, and more) "Cedar Grove News," hereafter referred to as "the Newsroom," will publish candidate biographical information and work history which is provided by the candidate or their representative and which is commonly known as a "Candidate Statement." The following policies will be used in publishing Candidate Statements. (edited for clarity - 9/15/2021)
- Candidate statements shall not exceed about 500 words (some discretion permitted). Candidate statements in excess of this length shall be returned to the candidate unpublished, and never edited or abridged by the Newsroom. Candidates are encouraged to publish an editorial through Cedar Grove News or request an interview if they have additional materials which fit our mission and vision. (edited for clarity - 9/15/2021)
- Candidates running on a slate may submit a combined statement of no more than 500 words per candidate. (Added 9/15/2021)
- Cedar Grove News shall not differentiate between candidate biographies (bios) or other information submitted and candidate statements: any materials submitted in this context will be treated as the "candidate statement" for purposes of this policy and publication. (Added 9/15/2021)
- Candidate statements shall make all effort to remain factual in nature. Libelous and defamatory statements shall not be tolerated. In the event of a statement which appears counterfactual, the Newsroom shall request clarification from the candidate in question. As always, all authors are encouraged to cite an authoritative source for any controversial statements of fact. Some unsupported claims as a part of a candidate statement may be permissible with a disclaimer by the Newsroom, but there will be no tolerance for statements which contradict public health officials during a public health emergency.
- During an election, the Newsroom may put out a call for candidate statements which includes one or more optional questions about relevant topics which the candidates may answer.
- The Newsroom will publish all candidate statements it receives in good faith which comply with the policies described here. Policy violations will be addressed with the candidate or their representative so that a compliant statement may be resubmitted. Write-in candidates may also publish candidate statements in the event that they comply with policy and act in good faith. If some candidates choose to submit candidate statements and others do not, the Newsroom will still publish the candidate statements it receives.
- Candidate statements may be published as separate articles, all on the same day, or may be published as a single article depending upon length and the needs of the site, at a date following the deadline for submissions. The statements will be published in no particular order. The statement articles from the site will be shared to social media in no particular order. (Changed 9/15/2021 - Previous policy was candidate statements as separate articles, which is sometimes impractical.)
- Publication of a Candidate Statement does not constitute endorsement of a candidate, support for their platform, or fact-checking of their statements and declarations.
- Candidates may provide a single portrait style photo for their candidate statement in which they are the prominent subject and are dressed appropriately for an event in a public park.
- Candidate photos may be cropped and resized depending upon the constraints of the Cedar Grove News website. Candidate logos and related art will be included at the discretion of the editor. (Added 9/15/2021)
- Cedar Grove News reserves the right to format text and add and remove headings to submitted materials in a way that is intended to improve visual appeal and to aid navigation as well as to limit confusion on the part of the reader. (Added 9/15/2021)
- Good Faith - Cedar Grove News shall publish materials, including candidate statements, about any and all candidates who submit such in good faith, even in the case of write-ins. Cedar Grove News shall not publish information about candidates submitted in bad faith or candidates whose participation in an election appears to be in bad faith. Bad faith acts include but are not limited to: evidence of running as a "Spoiler", blatantly deceptive campaign practices related to misleading campaign / slate names or other attempts to openly deceive the voter, candidates running with a party who have very recently changed their party affiliation and have failed to address the change publicly, and others. - Where bad faith is suspected, the Newsroom will make every attempt to reach the candidate for clarification and seek to publish either correct information about the candidate and their participation in the election or about the attempt to resolve the bad faith concerns. (Added 9/15/2021)
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