Leader Publications prides itself on publishing hyper-local newspapers, but our goal is always to give more community news to our readers.

There is often a fine line between “news” and “advertising,” so we hope the following guidelines will help define the difference and explain the procedure for getting submissions into the newspaper, especially those that involve businesses.

 

For all submitted material, Leader Publications reserves the right to:

• Edit submissions for spelling, grammar, composition and AP style.

• Use material submitted as background for news stories.

• Paraphrase content to reduce redundancy.

• Shorten submissions due to space limitations.

• Expound upon press releases to add clarification and/or context.

• Eliminate opinion-based comments or editorializing,

• Illustrate press releases with any stock art, photos or logos deemed necessary by the editor.

• Reject any submitted content we feel doesn’t meet our standards or benefit our readers.

• We reserve the right to prioritize content based on news value.

 

Business happenings we will publish as news:

• The announcement of a new business is news. The first announcement of plans to build or to locate in the area is also news as is the start of construction of a major business or industry. We will also publish submitted photos and information from grand openings or ribbon cuttings.

• Expansion, relocation and, in some cases, remodeling of a business is news if it will involve something visible to the public. If it has an effect on the public or provides better goods or services, it merits publication.

• Changes in management merit publication and should include a photograph of those involved.

• Mergers, sales and annual meetings of interest will be published.

• Retirement of top-level managers or longtime employees is newsworthy.

• Significant charitable contributions will be published with a picture of representatives of the business and the organization involved.

• Training and education of employees is newsworthy. This includes seminars, meetings or classes an employee might complete to gain a higher certification in his or her field.

• Company, regional or other significant awards won by businesses or individuals is newsworthy.

• Observances of significant anniversaries (10 years, 25 years, etc.) is newsworthy.

 

What we won’t publish as news:

• Sales events and open houses sponsored by individual businesses should be handled in advertisements.

• Prize drawings, special promotions or awards designed purely to draw customers into a business. Such events are best handled in advertisements.

• Feature stories on a business that are not part of a planned package or special section of the newspaper.

• Stories requested by advertisers that are not listed above as “news.”

 

How to get your news in the paper:

• Please make your request through the news department. Often a customer asks an advertising sales representative or other Leader employee to arrange news coverage, but they are not reporters and have no way of deciding or knowing if something will be published or not.

• It is always helpful and appreciated if you submit information in a typed format, but not in all capital letters. You can fax the information to us at (269) 683-2175, e-mail it to news@leaderpub.com, mail it to or drop it off at 217 N. Fourth St., Niles, MI 49120. You can call the newsroom at (269) 687-7713 before or after submitting information. Email is the preferred method of submission.

• If you have an event you would like us to photograph, please give us at least two days notice. We will not be able to make all events, but if you or someone else can take photos, we should be able to print them.

 

Priority will be placed on submissions sent by businesses and organizations in the cities or villages which our newspapers primarily cover. Content submitted by businesses and organizations in neighboring communities will be evaluated based on relevance to local readers.

Submitted content is required in most cases, but our staff may determine a need to expand upon it or write a story.

Space is limited in our newspapers. We cannot guarantee that submitted content will run on a specific page, on a certain day or in color, but our team will do its best to publish submitted material in a timely matter in the most effective way possible.

We have a small staff and can’t cover everything, but our goal is to publish as much local news as we can. With your help, though, we will still be able to let our readers know all the great things that are happening right here in southwest Michigan.

 

Michael Caldwell is the publisher of Leader Publications LLC. He can be reached at (269) 687-7700 or by email at mike.caldwell@leaderpub.com.