Chronicle style information

Obituaries
News Releases
Parting Shots
Letters

Obituaries

Obituaries submitted to The Cape Cod Chronicle are subject to editing for length, content and style.  We follow a straight-forward obituary style with a specific structure and format.  Much like a news story, obituaries that we edit contain a minimum of adjectives and superlatives.  Obituaries are a public service and while we aim to summarize as best as possible the life of the deceased, we feel that brevity and succinctness serve both families and our readers.   

Here is a brief encapsulation of the idea obituary format: 

First paragraph: Name, age and town of residence of deceased. Cause of death if appropriate.

Second paragraph: Surviving spouse.

Third and subsequent paragraphs: Details of deceased’s life, beginning with place of birth, schools attended, career, notable achievements, public service, etc.

Survivors: List survivors next, beginning with spouse, followed by children, grandchildren and siblings.  Any previously deceased family can be listed here.  Listings should include hometown and state.  We reserve the right to edit this list.

Service and internment: Please list date, time and location of service or mass, followed by place of burial.  Please state if private.

Donations: Provide the address where people can send memorial donations. 

Please submit obituaries in paragraph format following as closely as possible the above structure. Obits can be sent via mail or fax, or e-mailed to obits@capecodchronicle.com. 

Unedited obituaries are accepted for a fee. Please contact your funeral director of the Chronicle advertising department at 508-945-2220.

News Releases

Please submit news releases in paragraph form.  Do not submit listings or posters.  Releases should include the event name, purpose, time, date and location, admission fee if any, and a contact name and number. We reserve the right to edit all news releases submitted to The Chronicle, or to include releases in listings such as the Almanac or Sampler.

Submit news releases to editor@capecodchronicle.com, or send them to Community News, Cape Cod Chronicle, 60C Munson Meeting Way, Chatham, MA 02633, or by fax at 508-945-2578.

Publication of community news shorts or photo captions will be prioritized into three broad groups, and published on a space-available basis, based on the following criteria: 

C    Top priority: non-profit groups that do charitable work, especially if they have no means to purchase advertising;  news releases from town government or schools.

C    Middle priority: service groups (e.g., Rotary) and social organizations (e.g., the League of Women Voters).  Also locally relevant news releases from regional organizations (e.g., Cape Cod Healthcare, Cape Cod Commission, state or federal legislators).

C    If space still allows, community news items for private, non-charitable groups (e.g., the Retired Men's Club) or profit-making organizations (First Night) will be considered. 

Parting Shots 

            Items for the Parting Shots section should be brief photographs and captions submitted to partingshots@capecodchronicle.com.  Please identify persons in photographs, as well as the photographer.

Letters

Letters to the editor are always welcome, especially if they express views that disagree with our editorials or challenge the accuracy of our news coverage.  In order to be published, letters must be signed, and must include a return address and day and evening telephone numbers, for verification. 

Because of space demands, letters should be short (no longer than 500 words); all submissions may be edited for clarity, length, grammar and sensitivity.  The paper also reserves the right to limit individuals to no more than one letter per month, depending on available space.  We generally do not publish letters endorsing candidates.  Refrain from personal attacks in letters.  Letters of thanks will be published on a space-available basis.

Letters must be received by Monday at noon for publication in a Thursday edition.  That deadline may be altered to accommodate holidays.  Letters are generally published in the order in which they are received; however, when we receive more letter than can be published in a single issue, we reserve the right to prioritize based on timeliness and relevance.

Letters should be addressed to : 

The Cape Cod Chronicle

Letters to the Editor

60-C Munson Meeting Way

Chatham, MA 02633

or sent via e-mail to:

letters@capecodchronicle.com 

The following letters policy will be published on the letters page, as space allows: 

The Chronicle welcomes and encourages letters to the editor as a forum for the discussion of news, issues and opinions.  Letters should be brief, preferably under 500 words, and include the writer's name, address and telephone number.  Letters are subject to verification for accuracy and editing for clarity, space and sensitivity.  At the editor's discretion, the number of letters from any one writer may be limited to one a month.  The deadline for letters is Monday at noon; submissions received close to deadline will be published as space allows. Letters from political candidates will be accepted on issues pertinent to public debate.  The paper reserves the right not to publish letters from candidates judged to be self-promotional in nature. Letters in support of candidates will be accepted up to one week prior to an election.  Letters are accepted by mail at 60C Munson Meeting Way, Chatham, MA, 02633, or via e-mail at letters@capecodchronicle.com.