By Brenda Duke

The GALA Herald is a volunteer run community paper with a small dedicated publication team funded in part by paid advertising that is offset by personal financing. Articles are submitted by a team of regular contributors and residents who wish to share their viewpoints on the community. These articles are the opinion of the writer and do not reflect the publication views or opinions. The writers deserve to be treated with respect.

The need for this publication was made clear by the residents and it was reinstated after the pandemic to encourage connectivity and make all residents aware of the things that are happening in their neighbourhoods. Some of those are deemed to be ‘good news’ and some may be controversial and go against your own personal views.

I am disappointed that this message is necessary however it is required to set guidelines and clarification. Our recent article, ‘The Transformation of Our Neighbourhoods’ generated several social media comments. These comments alluded to the integrity and purpose of the paper, attacked the writer, and questioned the performance of the publication team. These comments were unfounded by facts and expressed the personal opinions of those who commented.

We welcome feedback, and encourage you to express your views by contacting the paper by email at galaherald@gmail.com. Those opinions will be published in a ‘Letters to the Editor’ or ‘Opinion’ piece based on our publication guidelines. Social media comments that disparage the contributor or the publication will be deleted.

I am proud to be part of the founding publication in 2013, and pleased with the positive impact it has had on our community over the years. Your cooperation in following the Publication guidelines included here will ensure our community all has a voice that is respected and valued.

Publication Guidelines

The GALA Herald strives to bring news of the community to the community. The articles printed are the opinion of the writer and do not reflect the publication’s view. To be accepted for publication, your article must meet the following guidelines:

No personal or confrontational attacks
No aggressive language
Must be factual and cannot contain inaccuracies, you can include sources
Must meet our limitations for space
Must include the authors name and a contact email or telephone for follow up
Any images submitted should be a high resolution jpeg, must support the article and have the permission of the subject or copyright holder
Articles must meet the Mission and Vision of the GALA HERALD
Deadlines are generally the 15th but might vary by 1 or 2 days due to holidays and printer deadlines
Contribute to community engagement and mutual respect and support; promote harmony, pride in our community and collective community action.

We welcome yours as long as it is expressed in a non-confrontational manner and is not a personal attack on another individual or their opinions.

We reserve the right to edit articles for length, clarity and adherence to our guidelines. We cannot guarantee to submit edited articles to the author for approval.