Below is what I posted to this site yesterday, yet there still seems to be some confusion on social media.  The "I Believe in Clinton" promotional page, which is published once a month, is 100 percent paid-for advertising.  It has no relationship to the Opinion page, which runs each week - none.

Letters to the editor are opinions written by individual residents, which we publish for free.  The term "Guest Editorial" is a common newspaper term for letters submitted by representatives of organizations or companies who write opinion pieces, that is letters to the editor, on behalf of groups of people.  The Journal does not charge for these either.

So, very plainly, if someone authorized to represent the group DeWitt County Residents Against Wind Turbines were to submit an opinion piece as a Guest Editorial, yes, the Clinton Journal would publish it for free, as it would for most any organization or business.

Yesterday's post:

People have made some untrue assertions on social media suggesting the Clinton Journal opinion page is only for paying customers.  This is not the case and never has been.  No opinions appearing in the Journal are paid for, and no Journal advertiser receives special consideration for publishing an opinion.  Everyone submitting opinions for publication in the Journal must follow the same rules.

Not everyone will agree with every opinion, but that is the nature of opinions.

It also is not true that our advertisers have any influence over writings that appear on our opinion page or on the editorial content of our stories.  As much as we value our advertisers, we still have to report the news no matter how uncomfortable it occassionally might be for some readers.  We also have to print opinions that some readers might not like.

Individual residents as well as representatives of companies or organizations, public or private, may at any time submit letters or guest editorials for publication on the Journal's opinion page.  It has never been any other way.  As long as written opinions conform to the Journal's opinion page policy, all such letters or guest editorials will be printed and uploaded to the Clinton Journal website.

The Journal does not solicit opinion pieces from individuals or organizations, so they should not expect to receive personal invitations to submit them.  The page is open for public participation — when someone wants to submit a written opinion, they simply do it.  That's the way it works.

I challenge anyone, whether private resident or representative of an organization, to send their opinions for publication to me at gwoods@theclintonjournal.com.  There is a 500-word limit.  If you send us something, call to verify we received it.

Gordon Woods

Editor

Clinton Journal