Over the past few months, The Herald has received a multitude of op-ed submissions responding to current campus and community dialogue. In light of this engagement, we want to clarify and update some basic guidelines for op-ed submissions.
One of the primary goals of our opinions section is to highlight individual voices and perspectives concerning campus events. But in the past several months, we have published several op-eds including lists of signatories, co-signers, co-authors or organizational affiliations in addition to bylined authors. While we recognize the appeal of demonstrating additional support for the opinions articulated in op-ed submissions, this practice represents a departure from the original purpose of an op-ed: to platform individual opinions related to the most pertinent issues in our community. Moving forward, we will not be accepting additional signatories in op-eds or other opinion content, nor will we accept submissions that speak on behalf of organizations rather than individuals. We will continue to publish op-eds authored by between one and five contributors.
Another mission of the op-ed section is to enable campus discourse both on the pages of and outside of The Herald. Our opinions section publishes op-ed bylines with an email address for readers to send direct feedback and responses privately, as opposed to submitting a letter to the editor for publication. Moving forward, we will formally require all op-ed contributions to include an email address to direct responses.
We’d also like to clarify our existing submission guidelines. We receive a high volume of submissions and are unable to publish every op-ed we receive. We are more likely to publish your op-ed if it is pertinent to current issues in the community and provides a perspective original to our opinions section. While we recognize the value of mission statements and open letters in articulating a group’s views, op-eds are not public statements — rather, they propose a thesis that is supported by evidence and articulated logically and truthfully. While The Herald will never publish an altered version of an op-ed without the express permission of the author, we will often suggest edits to improve clarity, structure and accuracy. And we reserve the right not to publish an op-ed that contains false information or fails to meet our standards for quality and accuracy. As always, The Herald is committed to publishing a diversity of ideological viewpoints, and the opinions expressed in op-eds do not necessarily reflect the views of Herald staffers or leadership.
To our op-ed contributors and readers, thank you for contributing to vital campus dialogue. We appreciate your engagement with The Herald, and we look forward to receiving your submissions and feedback.
Editors’ notes are written by the 134th Editorial Board: Neil Mehta ’25, Julia Vaz ’25, Charlie Clynes ’25, Kathy Wang ’25 and Finn Kirkpatrick ’25. This letter was written in collaboration with The Herald’s opinions chief, Alissa Simon ’25.
