The mission of The Bedford Citizen is to inform and engage the Bedford community through reporting news of local significance, promoting local events, fostering connectivity, and encouraging participation.
To assist in implementing our mission and a guide to decision-making, the Board of Directors of The Bedford Citizen has adopted the following policies and guidelines.
It is our best intention to keep the information complete and up to date. However, policies may periodically evolve with documented Board of Director approval. In the event of any inconsistency between The Bedford Citizen policy and federal or state law and regulation, the federal or state law and regulation prevails.
[Last updated March 15, 2024.]
The Bedford Citizen welcomes input from the community and our readers.
Voicemail messages can be left at 781-430-8837.
The Citizen accepts submissions in four categories:
- Articles or press releases
- Calendar listings and event publicity
- Comments on articles posted in The Citizen
- Letters to the Editor
There are different submission guidelines for each.
Views expressed in articles or press releases, calendar listings, event publicity, comments on articles posted in The Bedford Citizen, or in Letters to the Editor are the writer’s, not The Bedford Citizen’s.
Decisions about publication are solely at the discretion of the Editors and the Editorial Committee or the Opinion Committee. The Bedford Citizen reserves the right to limit the number of Comments, Letters to the Editor, event publicity, and articles or press releases published on a single topic, or by an individual writer.
The Bedford Citizen will not publish submissions that contain errors of fact, personal attacks, defamation of character, or libelous/slanderous material. The Bedford Citizen adheres to the spirit of the Bedford’s Town Meeting Guidelines for Civil Discourse.
Last updated: January 8, 2024.
The Bedford Citizen will inform readers whenever we make a correction, clarification, or editor’s note to correct a significant mistake in an article. When that happens, we will make corrections and clarifications as quickly as possible.
Please email [email protected] with any corrections.
Last updated: January 8, 2024.
Views expressed in articles or press releases, calendar listings, event publicity, comments on articles posted in The Citizen, or in Letters to the Editor are the writer’s, not The Bedford Citizen‘s.
The Bedford Citizen adheres to Bedford’s Town Meeting Guidelines for Civil Discourse. The Citizen will not publish submissions that contain errors of fact, personal attacks, defamation of character, or libelous/slanderous material.
Writers must include their name and verifiable contact information (street address and telephone number, or email address) with each submission. The Bedford Citizen will publish the writer’s name but not their contact information.
Submissions may be edited for grammar and clarity. An editor may verify corrections with the writer before publication. The Bedford Citizen reserves the right to limit the number of Comments, Letters to the Editor, event publicity, and articles or press releases published on a single topic, or by an individual writer.
Decisions about publication are made at the discretion of the editors and the Editorial Committee.
Proposed articles and press releases may be emailed to [email protected].
Last updated: October 4, 2023.
Letters to the Editor should be emailed to: [email protected]. Letters and questions on letters or the letter policy also may be mailed to The Bedford Citizen, P.O. Box 212, Bedford, MA 01730, by calling 781-430-8837 or via email at [email protected].
Writers must include their name and verifiable contact information (a working email address, street address, and telephone number) with each submission. The Citizen will publish the writer’s name, but contact information will only be used if needed for authenticity or for clarification of any issues. Letters should be signed by one or two individuals, or the members of a board or committee with contact information for each signer included. Letters signed by a large number of citizens will not be accepted. Letter writers should disclose if they are currently serving on a town board or committee, or in a position of authority, and qualify if they are writing on behalf of themselves as a group representative. For clarity when using Ph.D. or ‘Dr./Doctor’ – the writer should note the individual’s field of expertise.
Letters must be no more than 400 words in length. Please do not include graphics of any sort (e.g. photos, charts, tables, or graphs). Links/URLs to graphs and images on other sites may be included. Referenced links and articles in The Bedford Citizen or other sources should include the title, date, and a link to the original article. Letters to the Editor may include calls to action or requests for support, but we will not post form letters. Letters will not be published with special formatting – please do not include words or sentences in bold, underlined, in all caps, multiple fonts, or colored text.
Please submit letters in the body of an email or as an attachment (.docx/Word formatting preferred). Submissions may be edited for grammar and clarity. An editor may verify corrections with the writer before publication.
The Opinions Committee will aim to post the letter for publication within three business days of receipt. Letters may be distributed over a longer period prior to elections and Town Meeting. The Bedford Citizen Opinions team reserves the right to not publish any letter that doesn’t follow our guidelines and at our discretion. Letters express the opinion of the writer and may not represent the opinion of The Bedford Citizen staff or Board of Directors.
Letters and comments submitted pertaining to Annual and Special Town Meeting warrant articles and issues as well as letters and comments endorsing candidates for elections submitted within 30 days of those meetings and elections will only be accepted from Bedford residents and Town of Bedford employees. Please note: as of Jan. 1, 2024, the policy will change to 45 days before Town Meetings and Elections. No additional notification outside of this policy will be provided.
Letters and comments submitted pertaining to Annual and Special Town Meeting warrant articles and issues written by Bedford residents and Town of Bedford employees may also be cut off prior the date of the meeting election. Notification will be published on The Bedford Citizen website.
Latest updated October 4, 2023.
Events held in Bedford, sponsored by Bedford non-profit organizations, or out-of-town events that feature Bedford residents are welcome. The calendar includes, but is not limited to, cultural, educational, and faith-based events that are open to the public. Non-profit organizations may post fundraising events, including “Donate & Dine” events for sports teams, student clubs, parent associations, and such.
Events sponsored by for-profit entities will not be posted to BeTC unless they are primarily fundraisers for non-profit community groups or schools. Otherwise, any event submitted by a commercial organization must be free and open to the public. For businesses looking for a presence in The Bedford Citizen, we offer a sponsorship opportunity on our webpage.
Anyone can submit an event to the calendar through our online form.
The Community Editor ([email protected]) will review submissions and post events that fit The Bedford Citizen editorial policies, as well as the Calendar guidelines. The Community Editor reserves the right to amend how your event is listed when necessary. In addition, any event that cannot be verified by way of a submitter’s name and/or email address may not be posted.
Please note that you will not be notified when your event has been published, or if it has been rejected for submission. You may be notified with questions pertaining to the event.
Comments can be made at the bottom of posted articles and letters and are limited to 1,200 characters. Comments will not appear immediately but are moderated according to The Citizen‘s current submission guidelines.
Letters and comments submitted pertaining to Annual and Special Town Meeting warrant articles and issues as well as letters and comments endorsing candidates for elections submitted within 30 days of those meetings and elections will only be accepted from Bedford residents and Town of Bedford employees.
Please note: as of Jan. 1, 2024, the policy will change to 45 days before Town Meetings and Elections.
Latest updated October 4, 2023.
The Bedford Citizen is engaged in the publication of news stories impacting the residents of Bedford, Massachusetts. As an established and trusted news resource for the town, we are responsible to report accurately on all stories we post. From time-to-time, these news stories may include reporting on events that we deem to be unusually sensitive because of, for example, and not limited to:
- the urgency of the events (e.g., crimes, emergencies)
- people involved in the story are minors or might be minors
- a story is developing rapidly and facts are incomplete or not verified
- a story is on-going for a period of time (e.g, a town-wide emergency taking place over two or more days)
The Bedford Citizen will report as clearly and objectively as possible on the facts of a story as they are discovered or made known to us through reliable sources. These resources include (but are not limited to) local and state public safety departments, the office of the Bedford Town Manager, officials speaking for relevant town boards and committees, and/or eye witnesses.
Last updated January 8, 2024.
The Bedford Citizen publishes obituaries for current and past residents of Bedford, MA, and people with a connection to the town. There is a $100 fee for this service which is billed to the funeral homes after it is posted on The Citizen.
Submit obituaries to [email protected] or through this link. Submissions should include the name, phone number, and email of the person submitting the announcement. This information is for the administrative use of The Bedford Citizen and will not be published.
Submissions should include the decedent’s name, date of death, noteworthy events in the decedent’s life (especially those involving Bedford), and one photograph, if possible. Other information to include if relevant: place of death; names and towns of residence for any spouses, parents, siblings, children or other family members; details of any memorial services; and charities designated for memorial gifts. There is no word limit. Obituaries may be edited for style or grammar.
Obituaries are posted as soon as possible on The Bedford Citizen’s website, email feed, and social media outlets.
Last updated March 15, 2024.
By using our website, and/or signing up for services such as membership or our newsletter, visitors to our website consent to information practices outlined herein.
Information Collection:
We track how our visitors use our website so that we can see what people like and don’t like. We may also collect personal information about you via registration for newsletters, commenting, donations, membership and other areas.
We will not release names, email addresses, or any other personal information to anyone outside The Bedford Citizen without consent, unless we are under a legal order to do so, or there is an emergency involving danger to a person or property.
If users choose to provide your personally identifiable information for the purposes of a third-party contest, survey, or newsletter, consent shall be deemed to be given for the release of personally identifiable information with regard to that third party only, in addition to The Bedford Citizen. Only authorized employees or consultants are allowed access to personal information about users. Any employee or consultant who violates this privacy and security policies is subject to disciplinary action.
We occasionally have service contractors, third party agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, and joint ventures that perform functions on our behalf including, but not limited to, credit card processing and website hosting. They have access to personal information needed to perform their functions and are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of the data. They are restricted from using or altering this data in any way other than to provide the requested services to The Bedford Citizen. In addition, we may always share, disclose, and transfer all information, postings, and any and all other personal and non-personal information we have collected to a successor-entity in the case of the sale of the assets of The Bedford Citizen, corporate reorganization, merger, change in control, or other similar transaction.
Any information users share in public areas, such as the website comments area, becomes public and therefore this policy does not apply. Visitors to our website are encouraged to be cautious about what they disclose and that they do not post any personal information that they expect to keep private. Personally Identifiable Information is information that can be used to contact you or determine your specific identity. If other information is linked to this information, it also becomes personally identifiable information.
Use and Disclosure of Anonymous Information:
Anonymous information is any information other than personally identifiable information, including aggregate information derived from personally identifiable information.
The Bedford Citizen may use this information to improve the website and service, to monitor traffic and general usage patterns, and for other general business purposes, to inform publishers as to what content is appealing to readers, to inform advertisers of the usage habits or characteristics of the interested audience, and to advise potential donors so that they may better understand The Bedford Citizen’s user base.
Cookies:
A cookie is a small amount of data that often includes an anonymous unique identifier that is sent to a user’s browser from a website’s servers and stored on the user’s computer. Each website can send its own cookies to a user’s browser if the user’s browser’s preferences allow it. Most browsers only permit a website to access the cookies that the same website has already sent to a user, not the cookies sent to a user by other sites.
Website may use cookies to identify users as a repeat visitor or customer of The Bedford Citizen to maintain session information for logged in users, and to track usage trends and patterns in order to better understand and improve areas of our website.
All computers and servers on the internet use IP addresses to recognize and communicate with each other. We collect IP addresses to administer and analyze our site and report aggregate, non-personal information (such as number of total visitors). When users call up our site, our servers enter the IP address of that computer into a log. To maintain our users’ anonymity, we do not associate IP addresses with records containing personal information.
We do not, and cannot, use cookies or IP address tracking to retrieve personal information from a user’s computer.
Security:
The Bedford Citizen website employs a number of security methods designed to prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure correct use of information. Users’ personal data will be stored within a database that is located behind a firewall for added security.
No data transmission over the Internet or any wireless network can be guaranteed to be secure. As a result, while we try to protect personal information we cannot ensure or guarantee the security of any information users transmit to us, and users do so at their own risk.
The Bedford Citizen is not liable for the illegal acts of any third party.
The Bedford Citizen does not encrypt normal web sessions, however any transmission to the website or service of credit card information uses SSL encryption to help protect the data.
Links to Other Sites:
The Bedford Citizen website provides links and pointers to web sites maintained by other organizations. The Bedford Citizen provides these links as a convenience to users, but it does not operate or control such sites. The Bedford Citizen website also disclaims any responsibility for the information on those sites and any products or services offered there and cannot vouch for the privacy policies of such sites. The Bedford Citizen website does not make any warranties or representations that any linked sites, or this site, will function without error or interruption, that defects will be corrected, or that the sites and their servers are free of viruses and other problems that can harm your computer.
Opt Out:
If at any time users would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, detailed unsubscribe instructions are included at the bottom of each email.
Children:
The Bedford Citizen website is not directed to children (persons under the age of 13), and we do not knowingly collect, either online or offline, personally identifiable information from children. If users believe that we have received information from a person under 13, please contact The Bedford Citizen and we will take appropriate action.
Changes to this Privacy Policy:
The Bedford Citizen may change its privacy policy from time to time. If we make any changes regarding disclosure of personally identifiable information to third parties, we will post notice of the new policy on our home page.
Disclaimers and Limitations of Liability:
Although The Bedford Citizen takes reasonable steps to prevent the introduction of computer viruses, worms, or other destructive materials and programs to our site, there is no guarantee or warrant that our website or materials that may be downloaded from our site are free from such destructive features. The Bedford Citizen is not liable for any claim, loss, or injury based on errors, omissions, interruptions, or other inaccuracies in our site, nor for any claim, loss, or injury that results from a user’s use of the website or a user’s breach of any provision of this agreement.
Last updated: January 8, 2024.
The Bedford Citizen publishes announcements of engagements, weddings, births, graduations, awards, promotions, and other significant events for people with a connection to the town of Bedford, Massachusetts. There is no fee for this service, though donations to support The Bedford Citizen are always welcomed.
Announcements are submitted by people involved in the events that are typically not covered by The Bedford Citizen’s reporters. Submit announcements to [email protected]. Submissions may include digital photographs. All submissions must include the name, phone number, and email address of the person submitting the event (this information is for our use and will not be published). Submitters should make sure they have all appropriate approvals (for example, if grandparents submit a grandchild’s birth, they must have the approval of the parents).
Wedding or engagement announcements may include the name, town of residence, and parents of both spouses/betrothed; the date, time, and place of the wedding; and additional background on the couple.
Birth or adoption announcements should include the names of both parents and their place of residence. Date and place of birth may also be included, along with additional background on the family.
Announcements of graduations, awards, promotions and other achievements should include the name of the graduate/recipient/honoree and date of the honor; the name and location of the institution or company; and other background appropriate to the event (for example, the specific achievement the award recognizes).
Announcements are published at the discretion of the editor and as resources allow. They may be edited for style or grammar. The Bedford Citizen reserves the right to refuse announcements deemed inappropriate.
Policies related to obituaries are addressed in a separate document.
Last updated August 8, 2023.
The Bedford Citizen reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement or sponsorship it is offered.
The Bedford Citizen will decline to accept advertising that it knows or believes to be misleading, inaccurate, fraudulent or illegal, or that fails to comply, in The Bedford Citizen’s sole discretion, with its standards of decency, taste or dignity.
The Bedford Citizen, like all quality publishers of original journalism, maintains a clear separation between news and advertising content. Advertising that attempts to blur this distinction in a manner that, in The Bedford Citizen’s sole judgment, confuses readers will be rejected.
Last updated: January 8, 2024.
The Bedford Citizen is committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization.
Accepting financial support should not be construed to mean The Bedford Citizen endorses donors or their products, services or opinions. We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals, organizations and foundations to help with our general operations, coverage of specific topics, and special projects.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates as a public trust, The Bedford Citizen does not pay certain taxes. We may receive funds from standard government programs offered to nonprofits or similar businesses.
The Bedford Citizen’s news judgments are made independently – not based on or influenced by donors. We do not give supporters the rights to assign, review, or edit content.
The Bedford Citizen will make public all donors who give $5000 or more per year. As a news nonprofit, we will avoid accepting charitable donations from anonymous sources, and we will not accept donations from government entities, political parties or candidates actively seeking statewide or national public office. While we will accept donations from local elected officials, we will maintain our editorial independence. We will not accept donations from sources who, deemed by our board of directors, present a conflict of interest with our work or compromise our independence.
Last updated: January 8, 2024.