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Unitarian Universalist Church of
Meadville (UUCM)
“The Oracle” Newsletter Policy
April 14, 2009
The ultimate responsibility for the editorial policies and practices of
The Oracle rests with the Board. Development and/or modification of
these policies and practices will be done in consultation with the
Public Relations Committee. The Public Relations Committee is
responsible for the production of the newsletter and for implementing
Board policies.
The primary function of the newsletter is to inform the congregation of
church programs and activities. Space and emphasis will be allocated
according to the following priorities:
• Information about Sunday services
• Communications from the minister
• Information about religious education programs and classes (all ages)
• Information about all-church functions and events, e.g. annual
canvass, congregational meetings
• Communications from the Board, the staff, church committees/small
groups, etc.
• District and denominational news
• Information about outside events that UUCM is sponsoring and/or for
which there is significant involvement
• As space permits and at the discretion of the newsletter editor,
community news and announcements of activities of organizations of
particular interest to the church or its members
Due to the large amount of material that is published in each
newsletter, every effort should be made to keep articles as brief and
succinct as possible. Please try to limit your submissions to no more
than 1/2 page, which will usually be about 300-350 words. Articles that
are longer than this may be returned to the author to be rewritten, or
edited for space requirements.
There is a limit to the items which can be printed on the front page,
and not everything can be first. In general, committee and circle
activities will be featured in one section; there will be a section for
events, one for announcements, etc.
Advertisements for businesses or professional services will not be
accepted or published. This includes ads from both members and
non-members.
Articles that endorse or oppose a particular political candidate or
party will not be accepted. However, articles that take a position on a
particular public policy issue may be included.
A schedule of newsletter deadlines for the publication year will be
posted and distributed each year.
To guarantee inclusion in the newsletter, the newsletter editor must
receive an article by the scheduled deadline. Articles received after
the submission deadline will be included as the newsletter editor is
able to do so, according to his/her production schedule.
The preferred method for submission of articles is via e-mail, as a Word
or text attachment, or typed directly in the body of the e-mail. If this
is not possible, the article should be typed or neatly and legibly
written, and include the author’s contact information. E-mail should
include “The Oracle” in the message subject line to help distinguish it
from spam.
If a committee or other church group or board member wishes to request
to have a flyer included in the newsletter, it must be provided in an
electronic format compatible with the program used by the newsletter
editor. The flyer will then be included at the discretion of the editor
if space allows.
The newsletter editor may edit material for grammar, spelling, clarity,
or length. If she feels that material is not appropriate, it will be
refused after consultation with the chair of the Public Relations
Committee. Prior to distribution, the newsletter will be reviewed by the
chair of the Public Relations Committee, or their designee.
The newsletter is distributed to UUCM members and friends via e-mail. In
special circumstances, a hard copy of the newsletter will be mailed to
an individual member. Hard copies of the newsletter will be available in
the church lobby. Every effort will also be made to post the newsletter
to the church website on a timely basis. Visitors to the church may
request to receive the newsletter via e-mail when they sign the guest
book, or by contacting the church office.
Any questions or problems concerning the newsletter should be addressed
to the chair of the Public Relations Committee. |
