Opinion & Commentary Editorial Policy
1. Overall Purpose: The overall purpose of the Opinion & Commentary section is to help carry out the mission of the FCRC and to educate the public on conservative principles and positions on public policy and legislation.
2. Operations and use include the following:
a. FCRC Members and guests invited by the FCRC Executive Committee will be provided an avenue to submit articles and comments (See below).
b. An OP-ED Review Board of select members of FCRC Executive Committee and/or general members will review the articles and comments to ensure conformance to the principles of education and outreach, the overall purpose of the feature and the mission of the FCRC.
c. Articles will be selected by the OP-ED Review Board and posted to the website.
d. Comments on articles will be treated as articles.
e. Current members of the OP-ED Review Board are: Tom Valk, Kevin Carter and Mary Barton.
3. Submission of Articles: Articles or commentary on articles should be submitted by e-mail as an attachment and in Microsoft Word format (or compatible) to Tom Valk at thvalk@fauquiergop.com For those without e-mail service, please mail the submission to: Fauquier County Republican Committee, P.O. Box 925, Warrenton, VA 20188.
4. The OP-ED Policy "rules of engagement:" The following rules will be applied by the Review Board to ensure the articles (or commentary) meet the requirements of the website. It is anticipated that from time to time other rules may be promulgated as determined by the Review Board. Initially, these include:
a. No profanity
b. No demagoguery
c. No inflammatory rhetoric
d. Correct grammar and spelling
e. Be written with the mindset to motivate and educate, not agitate
f. All facts are clearly referenced and appropriate sources have been identified
g. Articles or commentary should be no more than 1000 words (not counting bio), double-spaced
h. Each author should include a brief bio, along with phone number, email address, and mailing address at the bottom.
5. Helpful Checklist: Here's a checklist to keep your op-ed and comments on track:
a. Focus tightly on one issue or idea --- in your first paragraph. Be brief.
b. Express your opinion, then base it on factual, researched or first-hand information.
c. Be timely, controversial, but not outrageous. Be the voice of reason.
d. Be personal and conversational; it can help you make your point. No one likes a stuffed shirt.
e. Be humorous, provided that your topic lends itself to humor.
f. Have a clear editorial viewpoint - come down hard on one side of the issue. Don't equivocate.
g. Provide insight, understanding: educate your reader without being preachy.
h. Near the end, clearly re-state your position and issue a call to action. Don't philosophize.
i. Have verve, and "fire in the gut" indignation to accompany your logical analysis.
j. Don't ramble or let your op-ed unfold slowly, as in an essay.
k. Use clear, powerful, direct language.
l. Emphasize active verbs, forget the adjectives and adverbs, which only weaken writing.
m. Avoid clichés and jargon.
n. Appeal to the average reader. Clarity is paramount