Our letters policy

Sign it

Every letter needs the writer's full name and town or hamlet, and we publish both. We also need an email address or phone number so we can confirm you wrote it. Those contact details are never published.

We don't publish anonymous letters or letters under a pen name. If you're worried about your safety or your job, write to us anyway and explain. An editor will talk it through with you, but the default is a name and a town.

Keep it short and civil

• Aim for 400 words or less. Shorter letters are more likely to run.
• Argue with ideas and decisions, not with people's character. No personal attacks, slurs or threats.
• Stick to what you know. Claims of fact need to be accurate, and we may check them.
• One letter per writer every few weeks, so more voices get a turn.
• Letters must be your own work and sent only to the Banner.

Editing

The editor may trim letters for length and clarity, fix spelling and grammar, and remove anything that is likely to be defamatory or that breaks the rules above. We won't change your argument. If an edit would change your meaning, we'll check with you first.

Moderation

Nothing you send is published automatically. Every letter goes to the newsroom inbox, and an editor reads it and decides whether to run it. We can't publish every letter, and we don't always reply to the ones we don't use.

Every side gets a turn

The Banner's news pages don't take sides, and the letters page is open to every point of view. We choose letters on whether they are local, timely, civil and accurate, not on whether we agree with them. When a letter criticizes a named person or group, they can reply on the same terms, under our right-of-reply policy.

Letters are readers' opinions. They are not the views of the Banner, and they are kept separate from news reporting. Our own editorials and columns are in Opinion.

Send a letter

Use our letters form or email news@chatsworthbanner.ca.