The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer.
The Arizona Daily Star Opinion section welcomes submissions from candidates, issue organizations, ballot measure groups, their supporters, opponents and interested readers. We believe sharing ideas and information is an important function of our Opinion pages, and we seek your participation from across the spectrum.
The national political campaign season is underway and we are receiving submissions from people announcing their candidacy for local and state offices with increasing frequency.
Readers weigh in on our choice of guest opinions and letters to the editor in normal times, and that scrutiny definitely heats up in election years.
I’ve been in the Opinion department for almost 10 years and presidential election years are like the Olympics: The stakes are high, the urgency is amped up, competitors turn into opponents and it’s easy to get distracted by the drama and the horse race.
Our job in the Opinion section is to share the views of people across the community, to weigh in with endorsements where we can offer insight as election day nears, and to do our best to keep discussions focused on substance.
You may disagree with a decision we make to publish, or not publish, a particular submission, but it’s important to me that I share how we make the decisions we do. So I’m sharing our internal guidelines for selecting guest opinion pieces:
We read and consider each and every submission for publication. Almost every letter to the editor submitted is published online at tucson.com/opinion
Does the submission advance the discussion in a particular race or issue?
We’re looking for submissions that inform readers with facts and analysis, not simple campaign-style attack or promo pieces. Don’t just tell us the opposition is lacking or wrong — explain what you, your candidate, platform or measure would do, how and why.
Why are you involved? Readers connect with personal stories.
Keep focused on Tucson, Pima County and Arizona. We’re a local news outlet, and our mission is to illuminate local issues and opinion. If you submit something about a national or international topic, include a local angle.
Cover new ground and be accurate.
Don’t read minds. We know what another person does and says, not what they think, intend or believe. Don’t assume others’ motives.
If you have expertise in an area, share it. If you are a candidate writing about tax policy and you’re a CPA with personal experience, use that insight. Show, don’t tell.
We evaluate each submission on its own merits and make every effort to ensure that our readers are able to hear from all candidates in a race.
This does not mean, however, that if one candidate in a specific race has a guest opinion published that every other candidate in that race is entitled to publish whatever he or she chooses. We apply our guidelines to every candidate and every submission and we will keep track of submissions published from candidates or campaign spokespersons.
As with all submissions, we may contact the author with questions about content and clarity and reserve the right to reject offerings that do not meet our publication guidelines.
How to submit:
We do not accept letters to the editor or guest opinion submissions via email. Use our online submission form at Tucson.com/opinion
Letters to the editor should be 160 words or less. Guest opinion columns should be about 600 words. We will consider content not submitted elsewhere and the author’s name must be included.
We await your submissions.
