How do I submit?

Email your letter or guest commentary to news@delawaresource.com.

Please include your full name, community of residence, phone number and any relevant affiliations.

What can I submit?

Letters to the Editor

Letters are short, reader-submitted opinions about an issue affecting Delaware County. They might respond to something we’ve reported, raise a concern, offer a solution or share a perspective that deserves consideration.

• Letters should generally be 500 words or fewer.
• Writers may submit one letter every 30 days.
• Letters should have a meaningful connection to Delaware County or the people who live here.

Guest Commentary

Guest commentary offers room for a more developed argument, personal experience or informed perspective. These pieces may come from residents, community leaders, subject-matter experts, elected officials or others with a meaningful connection to the issue.

• Guest commentary should generally be 600–900 words, although we may consider exceptions.
• Guest commentary may be submitted for consideration or invited by our newsroom.
• We recommend contacting us before writing a longer piece to discuss the topic and appropriate length.

What are our standards?

We welcome disagreement. We also believe productive conversations require some shared expectations.

• Be respectful. We won’t publish profanity, vulgarity, threats, hate speech or personal attacks. Criticism of public officials, institutions and policies is welcome, but it should focus on actions and ideas rather than insults.
• Be accurate. Opinion is not a substitute for facts. Writers are responsible for the accuracy of their submissions. We may request sources or decline to publish factual claims that are false, misleading or unsupported.
• Keep it relevant. Submissions should connect to Delaware County or issues that affect its residents. State and national topics are welcome when their local relevance is clear.
• Keep private disputes private. We don’t publish letters or commentary primarily intended to resolve personal disagreements, family or custody disputes, or individual consumer complaints against businesses.
• Be transparent. Tell us about any political, professional, financial or organizational affiliation relevant to your submission. Letters and commentary should represent your own views and substantially your own work. Significant use of generative AI to create a submission must be disclosed.
• Stand behind your words. We don’t publish anonymous letters or commentary. Submissions must include your full name, community of residence, email address and phone number. Contact information is used for verification and will not be published.

Can organizations submit opinions?

Yes. We welcome perspectives from nonprofits, businesses, advocacy groups, public agencies and other organizations when their contributions are relevant to Delaware County.

However, submissions must be attributed to an identifiable individual, not simply an organization. Writers must disclose their organizational role and any relevant interests in the issue being discussed.

We consider each submission independently and may limit multiple submissions from individuals affiliated with the same organization or campaign to ensure the Opinion section reflects a range of perspectives rather than being dominated by any one group.

We do not publish submissions that are primarily advertisements or commercial promotions.

What about elections?

We welcome perspectives on candidates, ballot issues and the decisions facing Delaware County voters.

However, Delaware Source does not publish election-related letters to the editor or guest commentary during the seven days immediately preceding an election.

This policy applies to submissions supporting or opposing candidates, ballot issues or other election-related matters, regardless of the writer’s affiliation.

We encourage writers to submit election-related opinions well in advance of this deadline to allow time for editorial review and publication consideration.

Will my submission be published?

Not necessarily. Delaware Source reviews submissions for relevance, accuracy, clarity and compliance with these guidelines. We reserve the right to decline submissions or lightly edit them for length, grammar, spelling, clarity, AP style and legal concerns.

We won’t intentionally change the meaning of your words. If substantial revisions are needed, we may ask you to revise and resubmit.

Publication decisions, headlines, timing and placement are at the discretion of the Delaware Source editorial team. We may update these guidelines as needed.

The opinions expressed in letters and guest commentary belong to their authors, not Delaware Source. Publication does not constitute an endorsement of the writer’s views.