Gazette Editorial Guidelines

The Gazette is committed to communicating the news of Memorial University of Newfoundland in a dynamic, informative and timely manner.

The following is a brief description of the Gazette’s editorial guidelines, including an explanation of policies governing the content of the news site.

Appointments — The Gazette will at times publish short news stories concerning the appointment of deans, vice-presidents, directors and other individuals whose position makes it vital they be familiar to all staff, faculty and students.

Books at Memorial — Faculty, staff or students who have written, contributed to or edited recently published books are welcome to make submissions by contacting the Gazette editor at mandyc@mun.ca.

Canadian Press Style — All Gazette items must adhere to Canadian Press style; however, there are Memorial-specific exceptions, which can be found in Memorial’s Style Guide. For spelling, we adhere to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary.

Events calendar — A free listing of upcoming events directly related to the work or research of faculty, students and staff. Events must be open to the general population. Event listings contain only basic information: when, where, what, etc. Entries are arranged by date. To be included in the Thursday morning Events Newsline, events must be submitted before 12 p.m. on Wednesdays. Submissions can be made through our events calendar. Publication is not guaranteed. Memorial reserves the right to revise or reject event listings.

Human interest features — Human interest feature submissions are welcome in the Gazette and are published at the discretion of the editor. Features generally focus on topics/people that are not integral to the operation and mission of the university.

Obituaries — Obituaries are published to record the death of members of the university community (current students and current or retired faculty and staff members). Obituaries include a name, date of death, age, the Memorial unit the person was associated with and a hyperlink to an independently posted obituary to provide equitable coverage to the university community.

Op-eds — Opinion pieces from faculty (current or retired), staff and students on a newsworthy subject that inform and stimulate debate are welcome. Submissions should focus on the author’s respective area of expertise. Submissions should provide depth to and perspective on the chosen topic. All submissions are subject to editing, and may be rejected on the basis of content or quality. Articles should be no longer than 650 words and be accompanied by a photo of the author. Author photos can be arranged. Submissions should include a suggested title. Authors must include their name, job title and contact information. Publication is not guaranteed. Op-ed contributions are limited to 1-2 per author per calendar year, at the editor’s discretion. To submit a proposal for an op-ed, please contact the Gazette editor at mandyc@mun.ca.

Letters to the editor — Letters are welcome, but should not exceed 150 words. The Gazette reserves the right to condense and edit them. Letters will be published at the discretion of the editor. Third-party letters will not be reprinted, nor will letters signed with a pseudonym. Authors’ names and telephone numbers must be submitted for verification.

Photographs — To be considered for use in the Gazette, photos must be of good quality and high resolution. The Gazette reserves the right to reject any photograph submitted. All photographs published in the Gazette must be accompanied by a caption indicating the subjects’ names and location and should be current, unless otherwise specified, in which case the date of the photograph should be indicated. Photos will be cropped at the discretion of the Gazette.

Republishing — Material included in the Gazette may be re-used without permission, excepting materials for which the Gazette does not hold exclusive copyright.

Special features — Special features cover important university-wide events such as convocation and student orientation. Special features include a series of news and/or feature stories and relevant media (photography, audio/visual, etc.) or other storytelling devices/elements.

Studentview — A column written by the Gazette’s student correspondent that covers issues of interest to students and the general community.

Submissions — As Memorial’s primary communications channel, the Gazette’s mandate is to support and communicate the strategic priorities of the university. In addition to being timely and of interest to its audiences, Gazette story submissions from faculty, staff and students must be newsworthy, compelling, relatable, novel, strategic and concise.

Newsworthy: The word news means exactly that: a story that is new or a story that focuses on a different angle of a topic that is in the news. What’s the impact of your story? Is it of significant relevance to your audience, i.e. Does it pass the “So what?” test? Human interest stories can also be newsworthy and are not necessarily time-dependent. If a story provokes an emotional response (amusement, sadness, heartwarming, etc.) in you, chances are it will in someone else, too.
Compelling: What makes a story compelling? According to the American Press Institute, “A good story is about something the audience decides is interesting or important. A great story often does both by using storytelling to make important news interesting.”
Relatable: Great stories show, not tell. Don’t tell me who you are. Show me why you matter to me. Put real, human faces at the centre of your story. Explain in clear and relatable language how your story adds value to the lives of your readers. How are the people in your story or the work they are doing changing the world, even if it’s just a little bit?
Novel: We aim to tell our stories first. In cases where a story may have been covered by another media outlet, consider the elements of the idea/news and what sets it apart. What’s unique about it? Your story should offer a fresh perspective.
Strategic: Align your story with Memorial’s strategic priorities: inspired learning; proactive programs; dynamic research; commitment to communities; and pride and promotion. How is your news contributing to these areas? Your story should be a piece of Memorial’s bigger picture.
Concise: Aim to tell your story in 650 words or less.

Other points to consider:

Value-added items, such as images, graphics, video/audio, links, etc., may be accepted from the author or produced by Marketing & Communications when desired.

Operational business information, such as program/funding deadlines/applications, departmental notices, calls for nominations/consultation/applications/papers, committee activity, etc., will not be published on the Gazette main page.

All submissions are subject to editing, and may be rejected at the discretion of the editor on the basis of content, quality or other reasons. Submissions must include name, job title and contact information of the submitter.

Submissions from one author or group are limited to 1-2 per calendar year, at the discretion of the editor.

Ready to submit a story idea? Please contact the Gazette editor at mandyc@mun.ca or the communications advisor in your unit.

Tributes — Tributes to members of the Memorial University community — faculty, staff, students and retirees — who have passed away are welcome. Tributes should not be a biography or an exhaustive list of a person’s accomplishments, though noteworthy achievements can be included. Unlike a formal obituary, tributes should include anecdotes to help readers understand who the person was as a colleague, a friend, a human being. Some contextual information, such as education, marriages/partnerships, children and career should be included. Submissions are to be made within six months of the person’s death, include the date and place of death, run about 500 words and are subject to editing for style/length. A photo that clearly shows the person’s face should be included. Publication is not guaranteed. For submissions, please contact the Gazette editor at mandyc@mun.ca.

Voice and tone — The Gazette’s tone is academic but accessible, clever but not arrogant, energetic but focused.

Miscellaneous notes:

All material carried in the Gazette must have a direct connection to Memorial University.
The Gazette cannot cover all events which take place on campus or which involve Memorial, and it cannot publicize events of which it is not aware. Members of the university community should feel free to let the Gazette know about upcoming events or interesting projects.
The Gazette reserves the right to refuse to publish material which is slanderous, highly technical or containing no relevance or appeal for its audience.
The Gazette does not offer advertising.