The Acton Bridge will keep letters local and refuse political advertising

Letters to the editor are very popular with readers, judging by the submissions that pour into The Acton Bridge email daily. We want to reiterate our letters, endorsements, and political advertising policies as we enter election season.  

Our deadline for letters is Sunday at 12 p.m. Letters may be a maximum of 300 words, including signatures, and will be returned to the writer for cutting if in excess. Anonymous submissions will not be accepted.

Readers are limited to one letter a month, which includes endorsements. If you plan to endorse more than one candidate in a town election, please do it in one letter. Writers must include addresses and phone numbers for confirmation purposes.

The Acton Bridge was created to inform residents about the town of Acton, and we want our letters to reflect this. We will not accept letters about the presidential election, national politics, or international issues.   

There are multiple outlets for those who want to address these topics. There is only one that focuses solely on Acton.  

Political advertising policy 

The Acton Bridge also does not accept paid political advertising.

As The Acton Independent Foundation’s Board of Directors has stated, “Our commitment to serving the whole community with impartial, fair, and inclusive local news coverage is the model we will apply to consider political ads in our print newspaper. The importance of an informed citizenry, especially regarding elected officials, cannot be overstated.”

In keeping with that policy, every candidate in the town election is offered a free quarter-page “signature” ad that will appear two weeks before a given election. A candidate’s “signature” ad is a list of community members who have indicated their support for a candidate.  

Letters may be submitted to [email protected] and are printed at the discretion of the editor. Opinions expressed do not represent the opinion of The Acton Bridge.