Editorial and Publishing Guidelines

for the Dakota County Star

All business news must have a local (Dakota County) tie-in.

There will be a two-week window to run an item from the time it is received.

All submitted items are subject to editing for conciseness, relevance and style.

The Star will consider submitted photos providing they are adequately composed  and sharp.

The Star will run news items on:

·          New business owners

·          New manager

·          New officers

·          Promotions – to manager or an officer

·          New businesses – will run with a photo and cutline unless editorial staff determines it warrants more of a story. For example, the opening of a new manufacturing plant employing a lot of people or produces a unique product.

·          Attendance at meetings or seminars

·          Graduation from training or special  recognition awards

·          Retirement announcements – after 40 or more years in the business or company

·          Business anniversaries – 50 years and each succeeding 10 year anniversary  (feature story)

·          Business anniversaries – 25 years – news brief, possibly a two column photo of owners. Not to announce an open house or other related promotional event.

The Star won’t run:

·          New sales people

·          New office staff

·          New administrative staff

·          Business adds new addition – depending on the size or scope of remodeling

·          New menu items

·          In-house sales awards (salesperson of the month, etc.)

·          Other types of in-house awards (employee of the month/year, etc.)

·          Years of service under 25 years

·          New locations

General editorial guidelines

Bridal

·          Engagement announcements should be submitted no later than two weeks before the scheduled wedding. Announcements received after that time may be used as the basis for the wedding announcement.

·          Wedding announcements submitted more than four months after the wedding will not be used.

·          Black and white glossy wallet-sized photos work the best, but good quality color photos are also usable. We cannot use color photocopies. We can accept photos on-line provided they are sent as a jpg attachment to an e-mail. Engagement photos are reproduced as one column wide; wedding photos are run two columns wide. Couples may submit both a wedding and an engagement photo.

·          Please make sure to clearly print the name of the bridal couple and the date of the ceremony on the back of the photo. If you wish to have photos returned, please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Photos may be picked up at the Star after they have been printed in the newspaper.

Anniversaries and birthdays

·          Please let us know if the date of the actual anniversary/birthday and the date of the celebration are different.  In the case of open houses being held in conjunction with the anniversary/birthday, announcements will only contain the actual anniversary/birthday – unless the couple or their family has decided to run an ad publicizing the open house.

·          Starting with the 25^th wedding anniversary, announcements will be run as a news item and may be published with a photo of the couple. Anniversary announcements will run in five-year increments after the 25^th anniversary. Anniversary photos will be printed two columns wide. If the couple wishes to submit an original wedding photo with a current photo, both will be printed  (side-by-side, each one column wide.)

·          Birthday announcements will be made starting at the 75^th birthday and then in five-year increments (80, 85, 90, etc.). A photo may be included with the announcement.

Births

·          Photos may be included with a birth announcement. However, they must be provided by the family prior to the announcement running in the paper. Photos will not be included after the announcement has been printed. Photos of the child will run as a “thumbnail” photo – one-half column wide.

·          Birth announcements will be run until three months after the baby’s birth.

·          Birth announcements MUST include the signature of both parents if the couple is unmarried or the parents’ last names are different.

Obituaries

·          The newspaper does not charge for obituary notices. However, families wishing to place a “memorial” or special remembrance will be charged for the service.

·          A photo of the deceased may be run with the obituary notice. It will run as a “thumbnail” photo – one-half column wide. We ask that the photo be fairly recent, if possible.

College news

·          We will publish information regarding awards, honors, dean’s list, etc. when we are provided with a copy of a student’s notification. The information will not be repeated when official correspondence arrives from the college.

·          Graduation announcements will run as soon as they arrive from the universities. Photos will be included only if parents or students notify the editorial staff PRIOR to graduation that they will be bring in or sending in a photo to be included.

Meeting announcements

·          Information about meetings of service clubs, 12-step organizations, affinity groups and support groups will be run in the “Community Meetings” section of the Star. Groups must provide dates, times, locations and a “for more information” phone number. A one-sentence description of a meeting topic will also be included, if desired.

Reunions

·          The editorial staff is not available to take school, military or family reunion photos. However, the public may submit these photos for inclusion as a “Potpourri Page” item. Cutline (caption) information must be submitted with the photo. This information should include names of those identifiable in the photo as well as the date and location of the reunion and number attending. Include a daytime phone number and a contact name in the event we have questions.

General

·          The Star does not guarantee a date when a news item will run; however, we will make every attempt to meet requested dates. 

·          All submitted news items, providing they fit editorial standards, will be printed once. Those requesting multiple announcements may want to discuss a personal advertisement   with the advertising staff.

·          Good quality color photos or black and white glossy photos work best for reproduction. We will also accept photos submitted by e-mail provided they are sent as an attachment in a jpg format. We will also accept photos on CDs or disk providing they are in the jpg format.  Photos must be sharp, clear and of adequate composition and exposure. Blurry photographs reproduce as blurry photos in the paper. If you do not have a clear, sharp photo for a mug shot, and time permits, we will attempt to take a photo at the Star office. The editorial staff reserves the right to not publish a bad photo.

·          A contact name and daytime phone number must accompany submitted announcements and news items. They will not be printed if the information cannot be verified.

·          Forms for wedding, engagement, birth, anniversary, etc. announcements are available at the Star during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To receive a form through the mail, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:  The South Sioux City Star, PO Box159, South Sioux City, NE 68776.

·          Announcements for fund raising events that are locally sponsored or are for a local person will be run one time. We will not run an announcement for a person’s fund-raiser that is not sponsored by a local non-profit organization.

·          Sports team photographs will be printed one time, if the team has won a championship.

·          Announcements publicizing a sporting event sponsored   by any private business   must run as an advertisement.

·          Court news will not contain the names of juvenile offenders under the age of 16. However, the Star will print the names of juvenile offenders 16 years old and older. We will print the names of any offender that is charged with a felony, no matter the age.