New RWR Letters to the Editor Policy

The RWA Board has adopted new policy regarding Letters to the Editor printed in the RWR. This policy sets out requirements for submitted letters and lists circumstances under which submission revisions may be requested. 

It is the Board’s position that members benefit from knowing the wide range of views that exist among more than 9,000 members. This new policy will allow for members to share those views on RWR content while providing a framework for ensuring printed letters fall within RWA’s Code of Ethics and non-discrimination policy. 

Please review details of the new policy below, and find the full text in section 15.2.8.4 of the Policy manual. The policy will also be printed in every issue of the RWR. Contact [email protected] with questions or concerns. 

Letters to the Editor Policy:

Disclaimer

The following disclaimer will be printed in each issue of the RWR: 
It is the policy of RWA to reprint Letters to the Editor sent by members in response to an article or information included in the RWR. RWA can require a letter be edited but does not revise content on its own or vet the author's views outside of the RWR before printing. The opinions expressed in the letters are solely the opinion of the member writing the letter and should not be interpreted as the view of RWA. Some opinions expressed in this section may be upsetting or offensive to some members. Members are advised of this possibility and should proceed accordingly.
 

Requirements

Letters to the Editor must:

• Be no more than 250 words.
• Be in response to content within the RWR and be received within four months of the original publication date of the RWR article to which it relates. The "original publication date" for this section means the official date of the RWR edition.
• Not be anonymous.
• Not include an implied or explicit threat.

 

Revise and Resubmit 

At the RWR editor's sole discretion, a letter may be returned to a submitter for editing in the following circumstances: 

• It violates RWA's non-discrimination policy.
• It fails to meet the word count requirement.
• It contains factual errors.
• It includes defamatory content.

The returned edited letter still must meet the date requirements referenced above.
 

Space Allowances

Letters to the Editor will be printed as space allows, on a first come-first printed basis. Letters that meet all other requirements but cannot be included in the RWR due to space considerations will be reprinted in an RWA forum and that forum's location or URL will be referenced in the RWR.