OFF THE BUS BLOG/NEWS SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Send your submissions to campaigntrail AT huffingtonpost.com. If it is your first submission, please also include a short bio and a headshot photo. 

OffTheBus posts news items and columns of opinion. Of course there is much opinion on the Web, and so we most value campaign trail news-- pieces that report on what's happening where you live and/or on your corner of the greater media landcsape. Tell us something new!

NOTE: Our publishing lead time varies. News pieces for obvious reasons take deadline priority. An OpEd can be posted very quickly but also might not be published for several days. We recieve many columns of opinion, some tied immediately to breaking events , others less so. If you have submitted a piece and it hasn't appeared in more than three days, please email campaigntrail AT huffingtonpost.com for an update.

All published pieces must meet certain editorial standards.  You can help expedite the publishing process by following a few simple guidelines:

 1.  MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CHECKED FOR SPELLING AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS. We’ll check again, but a quick run through for missing words can make a big difference.  

2.  DO RESEARCH AND INCLUDE LINKS TO BACK IT UP.  Whether you are referencing a quote, statistic, or specific event, you should include a link that supports your statement.  If you’re not sure, it’s better to lean on the cautious side.  More links enhance the piece and let readers know where you're coming from.  When including a link, do not send us a hyperlink in the text.  Instead, put brackets around the words you want hyperlinked in the article and then paste the link directly following the bracketed words.  For example, if you wanted to link to OffTheBus in your piece, it would go like this: “You can find great journalism at [OffTheBus] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/off-the-bus/.”  

 3.  IF YOU QUOTE SOMEONE YOU INTERVIEWED, MAKE SURE YOU CAN BACK IT UP.  To some extent, it will be your word that corroborates the quote.  At the very least, however, you will need to be able to present the name of the person interviewed and the time and place your conversation occurred.  Being able to produce a transcription or recording of the quote is best.  Before you think about quoting someone, you must establish up front whether or not that person is willing to speak with you on the record and willing to be quoted in print.  You should also be clear about your ties to the sources tou use. Are you a friend? A backer? A fellow board member? It's best to state any relevent relationship right in the text. Anonymous quotes are ok, but you should still have information to verify them.  

4.  IF YOU MAKE A NEGATIVE, FACT-BASED ASSERTION ABOUT A CAMPAIGN, YOU NEED TO REACH THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE COMMENT.  There will be gray areas here, but, in general, if you are presenting a candidate in a negative light and the article is not clearly your own opinion, you will need to contact the candidate for a response.  Getting a comment simply involves an e-mail (or call) to the campaign’s press department and giving yourself enough time to let them respond.  We will be able to help get in contact with the campaigns and decide whether or not comment is needed.  As a rule of thumb, however, it’s better safe than sorry.  

5. NOTE THAT WE OFTEN MAKE EDITORIAL CHANGES. We are not looking to change the meaning and tone of your submission. Edits are overwhwelmingly small and have to do with matching the story to the rest of the page or highlighting a relevant news theme. We change headlines for many reasons. There are many factors that influece headline decisions: space, design, repetition, search engine optimization are just some of the factors we consider.

Thank You.