Writing for the Local Paper
Writing for the Local Paper
Writing for the local newspaperCurrently, there is a weekly column in the Swindon Advertiser, Faith on Friday. Writers are drawn from the local churches and from other faith groups. The team has about 12 members, including a Muslim, Hindu and Jewish writer. The Christians are drawn from churches of all traditions.
Each piece is about 350 words in length. Some are shorter. Longer pieces are liable to be cut by the newspaper. The writer may suggest a title (and it can provide useful guidance to the sub-editor), but the decision on what to use lies with the newspaper. The column appears each week, but on a different page.
Each piece needs to be with the Church editor by the Tuesday, and is submitted to the newspaper by midday on Wednesday. If there is a major incident or other serious reason for us to comment, the newspaper may accept a last-minute piece.
The writers rota means that each member takes 4-5 turns a year, though some request fewer slots. There is also a Bishops Message at Christmas and at Easter, which we try to relate to the Faith on Friday piece that appears on the same page. We are also building up a Pentecost Faith on Friday piece by one of the other regional church leaders.
Writers meet every six months to review how the column is going and to raise any issues or needs.
We work as a team to make sure that the paper receives a piece each week on time. If an urgent issue arises from the news where someone feels they can respond, they can submit an additional piece and we may ask another writer to wait. There is always the need for a few spare pieces in case a designated writer cannot manage the deadline for some reason.
We are relatively unusual in that we have an internal Church editor who is one of a team. This enables us to communicate as a group with the newspaper, to get to know each other, and to ensure as far as possible that we are producing good, grammatical, interesting copy which the paper can use with little additional work.
The rota is reworked every six months. Writers are invited to request certain dates, and also to mark those when they are unavailable. Some writers take time out for some months.
New writers are requested to send in a trial piece, which will then be discussed with them in terms of structure, style, content and what the newspaper is looking for. They then go on to the rota. The Advertiser will send out a photographer to new writer unless the writer has specifically requested that no picture of them appears. Our names are given at the top of the piece, and we are termed local religious leaders.
The Church editor will silently edit structural matters, such as grammar and syntax, but will contact the writer regarding any major changes in content or presentation. The newspapers sub-editors have the right to shorten pieces, but will extract words from the middle rather than removing the punch-line.
Feel free to discuss any aspect of the process, from writers block to the published piece with the Church editor.
The column is first and foremost an opportunity to speak to the many thousands of people who do not have a regular practice of faith. We need to do it in a way that clarifies anything obscure about our beliefs but in a way that is courteous to people of faith who may also read it. We are not there to beat people up but to encourage them to take an interest in the positive contributions that our faith makes to our lives and how we try to witness to our beliefs. We may relate what we write to contemporary social issues, or to the festivals, or other times, that our faith observes. For example, a Christian writer might explain the significance of Lent in some strands of Christianity, and how we try to relate it to our lives today; or a Hindu writer might reflect on the festival of Divali.
We are not there to promote any particular brand of our faith but to show how it influences our lives and the way we respond to the world about us. So, if a writer wishes to include some aspect that is not necessarily shared by other members of the same faith, it needs to be clear that it is the belief of some but is not necessarily an interpretation shared by all. We can be radical in our approach to social issues, but need to be clear what is a personal view and what is core to our understanding of our faith.
It is a privilege to write for the public, one we need to respect. It is also a very enjoyable experience. We hope you will enjoy the work and see it bear fruit. Back to top
