Burlington Buzz Editorial Policy

We at Burlington Buzz have been asked many times since we began our work in 2022 if we accept Letters to the Editor. After three years, we are now in a place where we can put our editorial policy in writing and begin accepting Letters to the Editor. Please read through our policy in its entirety before submitting yours.

Burlington Buzz is a fact-based, nonpartisan news source in Burlington, Massachusetts.

At Burlington Buzz, we report facts and context. Our editorial policy reflects our mission to bring the Burlington community together.

Burlington Buzz does not endorse candidates for office at the local, state, or national level. We cover government fairly and objectively and make every attempt to cover candidates for office objectively. Our coverage prioritizes local issues, elections, and government; state and national issues, elections, and government are covered when directly relevant to the Burlington community and the stories the Buzz is telling.

Letter to the Editor Policy

We will print Letters to the Editor that address a specific issue or article that the majority of our readers will be interested in.

Letters to the Editor must be submitted via email to hello@burlington.buzz and include the writer’s full name, address, telephone number, and other contact information. (Only your name and street will appear in your story.)

Buzz editorial staff determines our editorial direction and publication schedule, and letters appear when and if the schedule allows. We can't guarantee we'll publish every Letter we receive, but we'll do our best to publish a representative sample from the community.

Additionally:

• We must be able to verify the letter's source and the facts presented.
• Letters should be no more than 400 words.
• Any stated facts must be backed up with sources.
• Letters may be edited by our staff for length, clarity, and facts.
• We won't print letters that contain potentially libelous material, support discrimination, threaten or imply a threat to an individual, group of individuals, or organization, or use offensive language or content.

All Letters must be the original work of the writer, and the writer retains the copyright of their Letter.

Cost for a Letter to the Editor

Writers may submit two free non-political Letters to the Editor per calendar year; letters in excess of that quantity must be submitted as a Paid Letter to the Editor for a $50 fee.

All Letters to the Editor submitted as an endorsement for, or opposing, a political candidate, referendum, or political agenda will be subject to the same guidelines as above; however, there will be a $50 fee for printing each such Letter. All political letters must be prepaid prior to printing. This includes any opinion trying to sway a vote. All Paid Letters to the Editor will be clearly labeled as a “Paid Letter to the Editor.”

The First Amendment

The First Amendment protects freedom of speech from government restrictions, not private businesses. Companies can set their own rules on speech in workplaces, online platforms, or services. While employees and users have rights, businesses can moderate, restrict, or penalize speech without violating the First Amendment.