Loudon Communications Council Submission Policy For The Loudon Ledger

The Council begins the decision-making process by reviewing articles for content and compliance with the Council’s mission statement and submission policy.  Council members also must consider a number of factors including available space, production deadlines, and costs associated with publication and distribution.

  1. Publishing meeting minutes for each of the Town’s elected and appointed boards and commissions remains the Council’s first priority. In large part, the Ledger exists to ensure that every resident has access to minutes from every meeting of the Board of Selectmen, the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Library Trustees. The minutes received from those boards are published exactly as presented, unedited, regardless of their length or content. The amount of space needed to publish those minutes varies from month to month and affects how much remaining space is available for additional content.
  2. Regular features include minutes and reports from non-governmental bodies and organizations that provide critical services to the community. Those include, but are not limited to, the Agricultural Commission, Conservation Commission, Historical Society, Recreation Committee, Library, John O. Cate Van, Richard Brown House, American Legion, Loudon Elementary School, Scouting programs, Food Pantry, Lion’s Club, and Young At Heart. Information from the middle school and high school and links to minutes and reports from the Merrimack Valley School Board are published as well.
  3. The Ledger’s production costs, anticipated revenues, and printing options determine how many pages are available in each issue of the Ledger. Our printer requires print runs to be scheduled in 8-page increments. This year, the Council budgeted for six 24-page issues and six 32-page issues. In some cases, there simply is not enough space to print everything received and content must be prioritized based on relevance and significance to the community as a whole.
  4. The Ledger relies on advertising revenues, and must provide space for the paid advertisements that help defray the costs of publication. The Council also works to balance the amount of space dedicated to advertising with that which is reserved for critical content and articles of interest to the community. The Council reserves the right to reject ads that the Council considers offensive, abusive, or discriminatory. It does not accept or publish ads for any political candidates or partisan causes, and does not offer free advertising space for private, not-for-profit organizations.
  5. The Council publishes notices for local events such as blood drives, fund raisers like the Fire Department’s Annual Harvest Dinner, and items deemed to be public service announcements.
  6. In recent years, the Ledger has included obituaries for Loudon residents, as the cost of publication elsewhere has, in some cases, become cost prohibitive.
  7. Additional items are evaluated in terms of their value to the community at large, and whether they advance and support the Council’s mission, “To provide a comprehensive source of information and education about business, government, and community organizations within Loudon to facilitate and encourage informed citizen participation.” In the past several months, those items have included profiles of local businesses that have consistently supported the community.
  8. If an article does not serve to inform or educate, it will not be printed. “Human interest” pieces generally will be rejected if they are not applicable, and of interest, to the community as a whole. The Council also evaluates the tone of articles submitted for consideration, and will not publish complaints, letters to the editor, op-ed pieces, or items that target, criticize, belittle or insult any person, group or practice.
  9. The Council will edit or reject articles or press releases that are offered as information, but that actually advertise or promote a particular business, organization or related events. Individuals who wish to promote their businesses or organizations through the Ledger are encouraged to contact our ad sales team and place an ad.
  10. The Council reserves the right to edit any items submitted for consideration and to reject those that do not conform to the Council’s submission policies and procedures.