Clarifying our newspaper’s guidelines for input from the community

FROM MY FRONT PORCH

Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, playwright, performer and entertainment producer/promoter.

Since Hyde Media Group assumed publication of the Hood County News, we have sought community columnists to add content to our paper. We have had regular columns from our County Sheriff Roger Deeds, our District Attorney Ryan Sinclair, and our State Rep. Glenn Rodgers, among others.

The HCN provides these office-holders space, without charge, to reach out to their constituents and enlighten them on the issues and actions of their office. From the beginning, it was made clear to the authors the column is not to be a free “political ad” but rather a chance to reach out to the residents of Hood County and let them know what is happening in their community. I believe our readers have enjoyed hearing from our elected officials and the process has worked rather seamlessly.

With Hyde Media Group acquiring three additional newspapers, it has become necessary to create a policy that we will utilize across the board in all our properties. As our management group discussed the policy, we recognized that if an office-holder announced for office in an upcoming election and we continued to allow them to write a column in the newspaper, it might give the appearance of an endorsement from the newspaper.

Our policy is to not endorse candidates but rather to urge citizens to vote and to make their own decision: not to substitute our opinion for their own. As such, any columnist who announces as a candidate for a public office, will not be permitted to write a column until such time the election is completed. We are taking this action to be fair to all those running for office and to make sure we maintain a fair and impartial role in the election process. Columnists are free to run paid ads. They simply will not be provided free space during the election.

We have also refined and clarified our letter to the editor policy. We welcome letters to the editor and as long as they meet our guidelines, they will be printed. We want to offer our readers the opportunity to speak out and express an opinion but at the same time, we want to be consistent and fair to all. The policy appears in the Letters to the Editor section of the newspaper.

The Hood County News and all the newspapers in the Hyde Media Group will continue to print facts, as fairly and accurately as we possibly can. We are human, and on the occasion where we make a mistake, we will correct it.

I urge you to read our mission statement, which is published in every edition. We work very hard to live by its words and intent every single day. We want to be your source for news in Hood County, and the source you can trust for accuracy and fairness.

Thought for the day: It is not fair to ask of others what we will not do ourselves.

Until next time.

sam@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 260