Submit news articles or news tips
If you’d like to submit a news tip or a news article of any length (even very short ones are fine!), you’ll need to register for inSierraMadre.com by clicking “login” in the upper right-hand corner of the site. Then, you’ll be able to write and submit news articles when you’re logged into inSierraMadre.com.
When you create a news post, please select an appropriate category, with the understanding that the editor may change it. If you do not see an appropriate category, just select News, General, and suggest an appropriate category to the editor in an e-mail or within the body of the article itself.
When you submit a story to inSierraMadre.com, the editor may contact your sources to verify or double-check information. Additionally, the editor will edit your writing for grammar, punctuation, usage and spelling. Your story might be edited for length but the substance of the content itself will not be altered. The editor might contact you for more information if necessary.
If your submission includes photos, video or audio, please contact the editor to make arrangements.
Tips for newswriting
>>Objectivity & Transparency
News must be written from as objective a viewpoint as possible. There is a difference between news and opinion writing. Try to achieve a balance of viewpoints in your writing.
Additionally, if you have a personal or business relationship with the subject of an article you’re writing, you should disclose the nature of that relationship up front so that readers are clear about your perspective. But, if you are too close to a subject, you’re probably not the best person to write an objective news article about that subject. Perhaps you should consider writing an editorial instead.
>>Do your own work
Remember what your school teachers always told you about the value of doing your own work? That applies here.
inSierraMadre.com is looking for original submissions – that means your own work, not someone else’s. You must attribute any information you get from someone or from somewhere else, whether it’s someone on City Council, your grandmother, a documentary film, a website, a newspaper, a book, etc.
When attributing something to another website, you should provide a link to that site. You can do this by using the little chain link icon in the window where you type your post.
If you are confused about how or whether to attribute, please contact the editor at insierra@insierramadre.com.
>>NO gifts or money in exchange for news coverage
Do not accept any gifts, money or favors from any person or group in exchange for writing (or not writing) a news story.
*Poynter.org
*Online Journalism Review: , writing, video production (full disclosure – please see the editor’s bio on the About page to see my relationship with this site)