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Communications Committee
Mission Statement
The Communications Committee has a three-fold mandate:
1. To disseminate information to our members and/or the public;
2. To demonstrate the value of the FCA to the community;
3. To develop communications policy and tools to support the communications needs of the FCA.
The two primary communications vehicles of the Fernwood Community Association are the Fernwood News and the website at: www.fernwoodvic.ca
The website was redesigned in the spring of 2006.
The Communications Committee of the Fernwood Community Association (FCA) acts as the editorial board for the Fernwood News.
As part of its mandate, the editorial board is granted full authority to accept, reject, edit, and request changes to all copy received by the paper for publication.
As part of its mandate, the editorial board must:
1. be mindful that the paper has a special relationship with the FCA, and that it will reflect the values of that organization;
2. actively solicit and consider copy from interested community members;
3. discuss plans for and progress on each upcoming issue at the meeting of the Communications Committee immediately before each quarterly publication;
4. engage in a critique of the latest issue at the meeting of the Communications Committee immediately after publication.
The editorial board maintains the following principles and practices:
1. that the newspaper must actively aim to be financially independent;
2. that Mark Bateman is the paper’s publisher, Rena Miller its copy editor, and Joanne Murray its financial administrator;
3. that all text copy must be submitted to Rena Miller by no later than the 15th day of the month immediately preceding publication;
4. that all photographs and other graphic submissions must be submitted to Mark Bateman by no later than the 15th day of the month immediately proceeding publication;
5. that all submissions must be submitted via email; text copy must be submitted in “Plain Text” format;
6. that the final edited version of all text copy will be submitted to Mark Bateman by Rena Miller;
7. that every reasonable effort should be made to consult and discuss with contributors changes made to their submissions, though the editorial board reserves the right to make changes without consultation on late submissions and where the exigencies of publication layout require it;
8. that the Fernwood News will be published to the website as soon as possible after the hard-copy edition has been finalized.
Furthermore, the editorial board should meet (or communicate electronically) at least twice in the two weeks between the submission deadline and the publication date: once to discuss the inclusion, exclusion, and layout of copy; and once to view and edit the final layout of the text before it is sent to the printer. During these meetings (real or “virtual”), at least half of the editorial board must be involved for decisions to be made about inclusions, exclusions, and layout.
If you are interested in contributing to the Fernwood News, please contact: communications@fernwoodvic.ca
Your comments or questions on this website are welcome.
The FCA site is designed and maintained by Tony Sprackett.