Dearest reader,

The Opinion section of the Technician is intended to be a public forum for members of the campus community to freely discuss relevant issues and problems. This platform is open to anybody interested in offering unique insight and engaging constructively with the public debate.

However, if Opinion pieces are not clearly distinguished from other content, then confusion could potentially ensue. In the physical paper, this is accomplished with clear page headings and special design elements such as placing portraits of columnists next to bylines and using drop caps at the beginning of a column. Though on the internet, especially when pieces are shared over social media, the distinction between objective reporting and subjective commentary/critique can be blurred.

As such, we have implemented a new measure to ensure that the Technician’s Opinion columns can be easily discerned from other sections. Online headlines will now include a modifier to indicate the particular type of opinion piece they are.

Opinion columns written by writers employed by the Technician will have “OPINION” printed before the headlines. Opinion pieces written by students, alumni, faculty or staff not affiliated with the Technician, referred to as op-eds, will have “OP-ED” printed before the headlines. And, as has been our policy for the past year, letters to the editor will continue to have “LETTER TO THE EDITOR” prior to the headline. Likewise, editorials — the only type of content that articulates the institutional views of this paper — will continue to have “EDITORIAL” prior to the headline.

There are multiple ways that you can engage with the Opinion section. Any full-time student is eligible to become a writer for the Technician and write their own opinion columns. We also readily welcome all letters to the editor and op-ed pieces. They can be submitted online via our website or the editor-in-chief’s email, [email protected].

Letters should be between 250 and 400 words and respond to a particular campus event or Technician article. Op-eds should be approximately 600 words long. Both must be original work exclusive to the Technician; we will not consider pieces that have already been published by another outlet in any form.

In your submission, please include your name, year and major if you are a student at NC State University. If you are not a student, please describe your affiliation with NC State University and note where you currently live. The voice and core ideas of a piece will not be changed; submissions will only be edited for spelling, style and grammar. The editor-in-chief, Rachel Smith, will have the final publishing discretion.

With these new online measures, we hope to clear up any potential misconceptions. If you have any suggestions as to how we can improve our clarity or organization please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. We would be happy to meet with you.

Signed,

Gabe DeCaro, Opinion Editor

Logan Graham, Assistant Opinion Editor