Write for Us!
C&B News welcomes contributions. Indeed, we rely on submissions of articles and photography from anyone who lives in the communities we cover, or from readers elsewhere in the world who have connections with – or want to write about – Balerno, Currie, Juniper Green, Baberton Mains, and/or Colinton.
Our core editorial principle – going right back to 1976 – is that if someone makes the effort to submit an article, letter, and/or photograph, then the editor should have a very good reason NOT to include it in some form. Nevertheless, we retain the right to edit submissions as required—and to refuse publication if it is considered necessary.
If you haven’t contributed to C&B News before, please get in touch with the editor first to ensure that the subject you want to write about isn’t already being covered by someone else.
© Copyright
You will always retain ownership of your articles and photography. However, submission of any material to C&B News will be assumed to be permission for us to publish it in both our print and digital editions.
NOTE: Articles published by C&B News may also be republished by The Scottish Beacon, the collaborative network of independent local and hyperlocal newsrooms of which C&B News is a founding member.
If any of the material you submit has been created by someone else, please ensure you have their permission for us to reproduce it, and also let us know. We will always endeavour to credit the appropriate copyright holders.
Deadlines
Submission deadlines for future editions are listed here; each print issue also includes the next edition’s details as part of the credits found on page 2.
If you’re previewing a forthcoming event, please ensure it occurs after the next issue C&B News appears in the shops; otherwise it won’t be much use to anyone.
Equally, submitting your article even just a week after the listed deadline means your work will likely be first-in-line for the next edition. That might be a bit late—especially after our double-month summer and winter issues (July/August, and December/January).
Types of articles
C&B News publishes a range of articles:
• NEWS STORIES: (150-300 words) Usually focused on recent or forthcoming events, and local people, these should ideally be written in the third person and from an impartial/objective perspective. We are happy to include reports of local meetings in our “Local Updates” pages, which round off the news section towards the front of each issue.
Ideally accompanied by a photograph or three.
• FEATURES: (400-600 words). Occasionally less time-specific, but nevertheless still relevant; these articles are focused on a particular community organisation, project or activity. These can be written in a more informal (or first person) style, but still in continuous English—please avoid using bullet points or particularly “imaginative” formatting.
Ideally accompanied by a photograph or three.
• COMMENT: (300-600 words) C&B News is happy to carry opinion pieces – from either individuals or organisations –within its “Views” section. The paper already regularly gives space to the area’s MP, interested MSPs, local councillors, and members of the relevant Community Councils.
Ideally accompanied by … Oh, you get the idea!
• LETTERS: (up to 300 words) These can be on any topic relevant to our communities. You must include your name and which “village” you live in, but do let us know if you would prefer us not to publish your name in the magazine.
• WHAT’S ON: Our regular listings section details both regular and one-off local events, meetings and activities across the five villages. For more information on what information to provide, check here.
Some more advice
• Please submit all articles as either an attached Word file or as plain text pasted within the body of your email. DON’T place photographs within a Word document: pictures should be sent as separate attachments.
• Do include a byline (your name, as you would like it to appear in the paper: eg, Jane Smith) and your affiliation (eg. Balerno Bowling Club, Currie Resident, etc).
• If you would prefer your name not to be included – especially in the letters page – let us know and we will consider your request. Note: it has long been the policy of C&B News NOT to publish anything submitted anonymously.
• Please list any contact details, event listings information or other “call to action” at the end of your article. This means we can highlight the information more easily, making it simpler for readers to find. Good for them, good for you. Win, win all round!
• Do keep website URLs as short as possible, since many interested readers will have to type them manually from the print edition. If necessary, use services such as tiny.url or bit.ly to create shorter URLs. (Warning: if you don’t, we will!)
• Alternatively, we are happy – space permitting – to include a relevant QR Code.
Photographs
WE REPEAT: please attach photographs as individual image files; DO NOT embed them into a Word document or PDF, etc. If you fear the files will be too big to email, please use a free file-transfer service like WeTransfer, Dropbox or Google Drive.
Whenever possible, let us know the name of the photographer, so we can credit them on the page. Note: we do not use watermarked photographs; we believe placing photo credits underneath the images makes them easier to read.
It is also helpful if you can list any individuals (age 13 or older) depicted in the photographs—normally from left to right, top to bottom.
Style Guide
Regarding spelling, formatting and grammar, C&B News largely (though not exclusively) follows the Style Guide published by The Guardian and The Observer newspapers, as it’s among the most comprehensive, detailed, and easily accessible out there.
This isn’t about being “right” or “wrong”, per se; it’s simply about avoiding potentially distracting inconsistencies in writing style across a publication which relies on so many different contributors.
For example: dates are formatted number, month, year (as in: 23 November 2023, NOT: 23rd November ’23 or 23/11/23); times are formatted as 9am and 10.20pm, NOT 09:00 and 22:20. Also note: the name of the publication is C&B News, not “CandB NEWS”, “C+B News” or even “the C and B news”.
Any more questions?
Please email Paul Fisher Cockburn via editor@candbnews.com