Anytime there’s a change, there’s bound to be confusion. And that’s been the case for some of our regular news contributors since we switched to mail delivery.

Our copy deadlines have remained pretty much the same, as have our production deadlines. But those who send in news items for publication in our newspaper need to remember one crucial element over which we have no control: the postal system, and when its customers receive their mail each day.

Some people are in the habit of submitting news the day before they want it to be in the paper. This is a dangerous precedent, because if they haven’t taken into account when most subscribers might get their papers, it’s likely their news item won’t be seen until it’s too late.

Let’s say John Brown on Thursday at 11 a.m. submits a notice about a fundraiser bean dinner set for Friday at 6 p.m. John’s figuring if we publish the announcement in Friday’s paper, everyone will see it in time to attend. But that’s not necessarily so. Rack readers, who may get their newspapers early in the morning, may indeed see the notice in time to make the dinner. On the other hand, home subscribers who get their mail at 3 p.m. may only read the notice after they’ve made other plans for the evening – or, they may not even read it until they get home from work at 6 p.m. The situation is worse if John’s bean dinner is at noon Friday. Practically no one will be attending unless John has also used word-of-mouth to disseminate his information. And although we can’t publish an item we don’t have, many readers assume we’ve just dropped the ball and failed to publish the material until it’s too late.

The key thing to remember: If you have a function planned for a given day, it needs to appear in the paper no later than the day BEFORE the event. That means if your event is Friday, you’ll need to turn in the news item Wednesday so it will appear in Thursday’s paper. (If your item needs to be in the Sunday paper, we’ll need it Friday at 11 a.m.)

Along those lines, here are a few other questions you might have, and the answers:

Q: What ARE your deadlines, anyway?

A: If you want an item published in a certain edition, we’ll need it the previous day by 11 a.m. (or Friday at 11 for the Sunday paper). It’s true that we do sometimes publish items we receive after that time, but these are usually staff-written or late-breaking items. If you know about an upcoming event, there’s no reason you shouldn’t make our deadline. (Sports deadlines are somewhat later; see below.)

Q: What’s the best way to submit a news item to you?

A: E-mail it to news@tahlequahdailypress.com. We’d prefer that, instead of attaching your document, you copy your text and paste it into your e-mail field, to avoid word program compatibility issues. You can also drop the typed news item off at our office, 106 W. Second, or if it’s not especially time-sensitive, mail it to Press Newsroom, P.O. Box 888, Tahlequah, Okla. 74465. For a variety of reasons, faxing is not a good choice, but if it’s all you’ve got, our number is (918) 456-2019. Please avoid sending in handwritten items, because we often have trouble deciphering them, which increases the likelihood of error.

Q: What if I have a photo to go with it?

A: If you’ve e-mailed the item, attach the RGB (color) photo as a jpeg (.JPG), using about 170 dpi. Please don’t send photos with huge dpis, as they clog our mail system. “Hard” photos can be delivered to our office with your press release or snail-mailed. DO NOT fax photos! Whatever way you submit a photo, please identify the subject matter, including the FULL names of the people, left to right, front row to back. (Schools are notorious for sending teachers identified only as “Mrs. Brown.” First names, too, please!)

Q: If I turn in a news item, and it’s published with an error in it, can I get it reprinted?

A: It depends on the item, and who made the mistake. If it’s a news brief, we’ll print it again. If it was a wedding, engagement, birth or anniversary announcement (see below) and it was OUR mistake, we’ll reprint it. If the mistake was yours, we’ll also reprint it, but we may have to charge you. For long news items, we cannot guarantee we’ll run them again, but we will run corrections or clarifications when needed. It’s a good idea to double-check all dates, times, locations and name spellings in news items you turn in so you know they’re correct when they get to us.

Q: I’m getting married, and I’d like to get an engagement announcement and wedding announcement in the paper. How do I do that?

A: We have forms available at our front desk; you can drop by and pick one up, or have one sent to you. Engagement announcements should be turned in at least two weeks before the big day; we won’t run a marriage announcement until after the wedding. Both types are published on Wednesdays and Sundays, and we’ll do our best to honor requests for publication dates. But see below for m ore on that. Please include appropriate photos. By the way, when filling out these forms, be sure to clarify parents’ names, especially when stepparents are involved, to avoid any confusion.

We’ll address a second round of questions in our Sunday paper, so stay tuned.

Q: Can I get a free birthday announcement in the paper?

A: Only if you’re 75 or older, but you can see our ad staff about a paid announcement. We also have birthday forms you can fill out.

Q: What about anniversaries?

A: Sure, and they’re free, once you hit the 25th; otherwise, it’s a paid announcement. After that, we’ll publish every five years free until your 50th, and after that – well, anyone who makes it that long deserves credit!

Q: Will you promise to run my news item exactly as I wrote it?

A: Sorry, no can do. ALL newspapers edit for clarify, to correct grammatical errors, to avoid libelous content, to meet space limitations and to conform to established journalism writing “style.” There are no exceptions to this rule. If you want something to be published exactly as you’ve submitted it, you should see one of our account executives; you’ll need to pay for it. (Incidentally, this is largely the case with paid obituaries, since many of them don’t conform to “style.”)

Q: How do I make sure you publish my items on specific days, or several times?

A: Again, we can’t do this, because we have too many other things to publish for our readers, and our space is limited. You may request that we publish a brief as many times as possible, and we’ll hold it in an embargoed folder, printing it as we have space. We try to honor requested publication dates, but if you want a guarantee, a charge will accompany it. The best way to get several items published about an upcoming event is to submit several items.

Q: How do I get my name kept out of the paper if I’m arrested or sued; if I get married or divorced; or if I file a report with a law enforcement agency?

A: Such items are public record, and we do NOT withhold names from publication, period – no matter who you are. This is our company policy, and an almost universal policy for all newspapers. We get requests like this almost every day, and the answer is always the same. The only names we do withhold are those of juveniles (and then only in criminal cases), and rape victims, though we won’t publish the name of an “accused” individual until a law enforcement agency moves to file charges.

Q: How do I get the best publicity for a political candidate I’m trying to help?

A: Although we will sometimes run brief announcements that candidates will be speaking at a particular venue, in general, we do not offer “free” publicity to political candidates due to the regulations governing political ads. This especially goes for letters to the editor. Fundraiser announcements must be treated as paid ads, as are endorsements (or condemnations, for that matter). During campaign season, only “legitimate” news items about candidates are published as such, and while this obviously means an advantage for incumbents, we do severely limit their “free” exposure. An account executive can help you get the exposure you need. Call our ad manager, Pam Hutson, or one of her staff.

Q: How do I thank businesses for helping me with a fundraiser or making a donation to my cause?

A: Most folks know that newspaper employees’ salaries are funded through paid advertising. If we allowed repeated “free” publicity for businesses, they’d have no need to buy ads, and we wouldn’t have jobs – nor would you have a community newspaper you could depend on! Such “thank you” lists and other items must be run as paid advertising.

Q: How do I submit a letter to the editor?

A: Send it the same way you would any other news announcement. But please include your address (at least your hometown) and your phone number so we can confirm you sent it. We cannot print a letter until we receive verbal confirmation you are who you say you are. Also, we won’t print material that could cause legal problems for you or us. Potential legal ramifications are also the reason why, for many years now, we have not published letters with “name withheld,” nor can you use an alias. Letters are subject to the same editing as other items.

Q: I’d like to submit a guest editorial. Can I do that?

A: Sure, subject to the same rules outlined above. Only difference is, we’ll need a “mugshot” photo of you to accompany it.

Q: How do I start submitting news for my church?

A: From time to time, we run a lengthy guidelines list on our “faith” pages, so we won’t get into too many details here. But in a nutshell, you have to be a pastor of an established congregation, or be his/her designated representative, with the church’s written permission to write on its behalf. Church news reporters often resist newspaper editing guidelines, as they feel these could affect religious components of their messages, but the same editing rules apply, especially in regard to space limitations and attacks on persons of other faiths. Because of the potentially controversial nature of some faith commentary, we require the use of the writer’s name.

Q: What about Wednesday Witness?

A: Any person, regardless of religious affiliation, may submit a column for possible inclusion in Wednesday Witness on our faith pages. We do NOT guarantee publication, by any means, nor will we guarantee a writer a “regular” spot in this column. This is also subject to our editing policies, and if you plan to submit such a column for consideration, you must also submit a photo of yourself and let us know your religious affiliation (or lack thereof).

Q: Speaking of personal columns, I’d like to get my own in the Daily Press.

A: Not a week goes by that we don’t have at least one request for a “personal column.” At this time, we are not accepting any that we print for “free,” and especially that we might have to pay for. If you are determined to have a column, our advertising manager can discuss rates and policies with you for a paid submission. This would be treated as an ad and would not be subject to editing policies, except in the case of possible legal issues.

Q: I have some great photos your readers might like. Will you publish them?

A: If they’re clear and not too dark, we sure will. E-mail them to us, with all the pertinent information – who took the photo, who’s in it, and where and when it was taken – and we’ll include it on our Community Snapshots page, which usually runs in Thursday’s paper.

Q: Are you interested in recipes I have to share?

A: You bet. We print one every Wednesday on our Food page. E-mail them to composing@tahlequahdailypress.com or drop them by our office at 106 W. Second. By the way, we’re about to begin publishing a new magazine, and we’re looking for Christmas recipes and photos of the completed creation (with you in it, if possible). These should be sent to news@tahlequahdailypress, with Magazine Recipe in the subject line, and your photo attached. They can also be delivered to our office, but just make sure you let us know they’re holiday recipes for the magazine.

Q: How do I participate in special supplements you publish from time to time?

A: Usually we run an ad several times when we’re looking for copy, photos or other items for supplements. For instance, we’re now collecting information to publish a special supplement saluting our veterans. Just keep reading the Press from day to day and you’ll see these calls for your participation.

Q: I’d like to see more information published on your sports pages about local athletes’ achievements and game results from, say, junior high teams. What can I do?

A: We only have one sports editor, although we do have three stringers, but they’re pretty swamped covering sports for NSU and the four high schools in our county: Tahlequah, Keys, Sequoyah and Hulbert. There’s no way we can cover all the rural schools or younger kids, but we gladly accept help from interested parents or coaches, or even the athletes themselves. Touch base with Sports Editor Jeremy Short (456-8833, ext. 22, or e-mail jshort@tahlequahdailypress.com)to find out how you can help. (Be patient; he’s in and out a lot, but he’ll get back with you.) Or you can simply e-mail sports news items to sports@tahlequahdailypress.com.

Q: Who do I talk to if I have a good idea for a story?

A: Call our managing editor, Kim Poindexter, at extension 19, or talk to our newsroom clerk, Sharry Mouss. If you have worked with a particular reporter in the past, you may also talk to him or her. While we can’t guarantee we’ll use every idea submitted to us, we do get around to all that we can, provided they’re legitimate. We do appreciate your ideas and work hard to implement them, and remember, the more information you can provide us, the quicker we can tackle your topic.

Q: Wow, you’ve covered quite a bit here, but I still have other questions about the news end of the deal.

A: Our newsroom clerk, Sharry Mouss, can answer most questions. If she can’t, she’ll get the answer for you. Her extension is 20.

Q: If I suspect I’ll have to pay for the item I want published, whom do I call?

A: Advertising Director Pam Hutson, or any of her account executives.

Q: I’m an advertiser with a billing question. Who can help me?

A: Your account executive, the ad manager, or if it’s classified or legal, one of the customer service representatives up front. They’re usually the ones who answer the phones down here.

Q: I’m a subscriber, and have questions about paper delivery and how to renew my subscription. Who can help me?

A: Call our circulation manager, Jerry Harrington, or his assistant, Teresa Oxford. Their extension is 24. By the way, our other managers and even our reporters often have messages on their voice mail from people with subscription issues. While we do pass the messages to the circulation department, results aren’t likely to be forthcoming if names and/or phone numbers of customers aren’t provided. For the most prompt attention, call the circulation department directly!

Q: If I want my paper stopped while I’m on vacation, or I’d like it switched to another address, how do I do that?

A: Call either Jerry or Teresa, but they need at least a one-week notice if you’re moving to a new address, and at least a two-day notice for vacation stops. This will improve service to customer, Jerry says.