Newsroom policies and guidelines
Each Tuesday and Thursday in print and daily on ledgertranscript.com, the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript brings readers award-winning coverage of the news and events of 16 towns in the Monadnock region. As the area's leading source of local news and information, we are committed to providing an interesting, attractive and entertaining newspaper that contains the information readers need to participate in community life.
The Ledger-Transcript serves Antrim, Bennington, Dublin, Temple, Francestown, Greenfield, Greenville, Hancock, Jaffrey, Lyndeborough, Mason, New Ipswich, Peterborough, Rindge, Sharon and Wilton.
The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript provides the news and information readers want and need to actively engage in life in the Monadnock region, sustain responsible and accountable local governments and support a vibrant regional economy. We create a sense of community, provide a forum for public dialogue and advocate for positive change.
In the mid-1950s, the Monadnock Ledger set up shop in Jaffrey on the second floor of the Bean Block. The first edition hit the streets on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 1956. It was New Hampshire's first newspaper to be produced by the photo-offset method. Between 1956 and 1969 with Richard Noyes as editor and publisher, the Monadnock Ledger, Inc. grew into a chain of six weekly newspapers. The Monadnock and Peterborough Ledgers were merged in 1970. Published twice weekly, the newly merged Ledger served Jaffrey, Peterborough and 11 other Contoocook Valley towns.
Turley Communications bought the newspaper from Noyes in 1973 and Edward R. "Ted" Leach purchased the Ledger in 1979. From the Old Baptist Church on Main Street in Peterborough, Leach published the paper on Wednesdays, changing to Thursdays in 1986. Leach organized community events including an annual maple syrup contest that has been held annually since 1980.
Newspapers of New England, Inc. purchased the weekly in December 1986 and has owned it since.
Founded in 1849, the Peterborough Transcript was a weekly newspaper published in Peterborough, New Hampshire, for 157 years. It was the only local weekly newspaper for more than a century. It was owned by the Cummings family from 1900 until September 2006.
In 2006, the Monadnock Ledger purchased the Peterborough Transcript, and on Sept. 28, 2006, became the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. The Tuesday edition was added on Oct. 24, 2006.
Looking for information on previous editions of the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript? Subscribers to our electronic edition have access to up to twelve weeks of archived issues. You can stop by our offices to look at our bound copies going back several decades, or find us on newspapers.com. We sell back issues (up to one year ago) for $1.00. Please add $2.00 for postage and handling if you'd like a back issue mailed to you.
Requests for permission to reprint any articles, photographs, or any other materials must be emailed to us at news@ledgertranscript.com. All materials in the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript and on ledgertranscript.com are protected under U.S. copyright laws and are the property of the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, display, modify or in any way exploit any content from our website or newspaper.
20 Grove St.
Peterborough, NH 03458
PO Box 36
Peterborough, NH 03458
603-924-7172
Phone: 603-924-7172, ext. 231
Email: news@ledgertranscript.com
To submit at letter, use the online form at Submit a letter
Email: news@ledgertranscript.com
Letters must include your name, address and phone number. They may be edited for length.
Phone: 603-924-7172, ext. 218
Email: obits@ledgertranscript.com
Weddings, Engagements, Anniversaries, Births
http://placecelebrations.nne.media/celebrations/mlt/index.html
Email: news@ledgertranscript.com
Phone: 603-924-7172, ext. 231
Email: news@ledgertranscript.com
Phone: 603-924-7172, ext. 231
Email: ads@ledgertranscript.com
Phone: 603-924-7172
Publisher: Heather McKernan
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E-mail: hmckernan@ledgertranscript.com
Heather McKernan has been publisher of the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript since 1995. Responsible for all departments, Heather consults with the newsroom editors, and manages advertising and circulation operations as well. Her career at the parent company, Newspapers of New England, began in 1989 at the Concord Monitor, where she served as Human Resources manager, controller, and later as publisher.
Heather earned a degree in writing from St. Lawrence University, and an MBA and Masters in journalism from Syracuse University.
A member of 100 Women Who Care, Heather has also served on several boards, including Reality Check, The Monadnock Center for History and Culture, The River Center, The Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication at Franklin Pierce University.
A resident of Peterborough, Heather enjoys running, hiking, and anything that gets her outdoors.
Editor: Bill Fonda
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E-mail: bfonda@ledgertranscript.com
Bill Fonda joined the Ledger-Transcript as an editor in 2021. Previously, he was a reporter and editor for numerous newspapers in New York and Massachusetts for more than 20 years. He is a 1994 graduate of Utica College in Utica, NY, majoring in speech communication and journalism, and has a master's degree in political communication from the University at Albany in Albany, NY.
Reporter: Ashley Saari
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E-mail: asaari@ledgertranscript.com
Ashley Saari started with the Ledger-Transcript as a reporter in November 2011. A graduate of Mascenic Regional High School, she graduated from Franklin Pierce University with bachelor degrees in English and mass communication and Southern New Hampshire University with a Master's degree in creative writing. She participated in the print newspaper, The Pierce Arrow, and the online newspaper, The Exchange, while in college, as well as Franklin Pierce's two literary magazines. She was born and raised in New Ipswich, and currently lives in Rindge.
Reporter: Jesseca P. Timmons
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E-mail: jtimmons@ledgertranscript.com
Jesseca P. Timmons is an award-winning humor writer who has been a columnist for the Ledger-Transcript since 2022 and joined the news staff in 2023. For 10 years, she wrote academic case studies in entrepreneurial studies with faculty at Babson College and has done freelance work for schools, small businesses, and nonprofits. She has served on the boards of the Peterborough Plus Unit of the League of Women Voters, the Friends of the Greenfield Community Meetinghouse, ConVal Hockey Boosters, and the Monadnock Writers Group. Jesseca grew up in Harvard, MA, attended Bates College and has an M.Ed. from Lesley University. She has lived in Greenfield with her family since 2011.
Reporter: Aidan Bearor
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E-mail: abearor@ledgertranscript.com
Aidan Bearor started with the Ledger-Transcript in June of 2023. A third-year English/Law 3+3 student at the University of New Hampshire, he aspires for a career in intellectual property law after his graduation from UNH Law in 2027. He is a news editor for The New Hampshire, the student media outlet of UNH, and will be stepping into the content editor position in the spring. He was born in Baltimore and grew up in Amherst, NH.
Marketing & Projects Manager: Jessica L'HommeDieu
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E-mail: jlhommedieu@ledgertranscript.com
Jessica joined the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in June of 2022. Born and raised on Long Island, NY, she spent summers attending camp in Washington, NH and quickly fell in love with what the state had to offer. She graduated from Keene State College with two bachelor's degrees and two minors and has been in the Monadnock region for over a decade now. Jessica currently resides in Sharon, where she, her partner and two dogs are able to enjoy a small town feel, yet take advantage of the accessibility the surrounding towns have to offer. Some of Jessica's passions include traveling, the outdoors and food. Jessica enjoys building relationships with local entities and helping ensure the community is knowledgeable about all it has to offer. Joining the Ledger-Transcript has been a wonderful experience, allowing her to travel throughout the southern region of NH and build meaningful relationships with local community members.
Marketing Consultant: Tom Estabrook
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E-mail: testabrook@ledgertranscript.com
Tom was raised in Claremont and attended Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, MA. He then graduated from Boston College with a BS having studied Finance and Accounting. During his career working in Print and Marketing, he has worked with Pharma companies developing product launches and support campaigns. Working with the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, Tom enjoys meeting new people and working with them to get their message to the community that MLT serves.
Tom and his wife, Mary Ann enjoy traveling the roads of New England and gardening at home in Bedford. They also enjoy the time that they spend with their three grandchildren.
Marketing Consultant: Jane Thickstun
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E-mail: jthickstun@ledgertranscript.com
Jane's background is widely varied. With a BS in Linguistics and an MA in Philosophy from Georgetown University and an MDiv from a small theological seminary in Chicago, she has pumped gas, tended bar, waited tables, worked in retail and sold classified advertising for a small weekly newspaper in Delaware. After a time as a programmer/analyst, she became a Unitarian Universalist minister, which had been her career since 2000.
Having grown up in the small college town of Potsdam, NY, Jane has lived in many different places from Maine to Atlanta to Michigan, including five years in Keene, NH. Now semi-retired, she has returned to the place that feels most like home and bought a house on a lake in Rindge. She is delighted to be working for the local newspaper and loves getting to know the businesses and the area by helping provide the connections that communities need.
Marketing Consultant: Maria Adolphson
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E-mail: madolphson@ledgertranscript.com
Maria was born and raised in London, England, and moved to America in 1989 where she married her husband Doug and their son Taylor was born in 1991. Maria and her family have lived in Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina and now, in New Hampshire. She lived in Peterborough for 12 years and recently moved to Washington. Maria has always been in sales and really enjoys working and communicating with people in support of their marketing and advertising goals. Maria joined the advertising industry in 2011 at the Monadnock LedgerTranscript, serving the Keene area. To gain more experience, Maria then worked for the Keene Sentinel, Gift and Decorative Accessories, a national magazine and the Concord Monitor. Having come full circle, she is now back where it all began with the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. Maria enjoys walking and snuggling with her dogs, dining out with family and friends, decorating, reading, traveling, music, and meeting new people whenever she can.
Phillip Mullen
Extension: 218
Email: pmullen@ledgertranscript.com
Phillip Mullen joined the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in 2022. Born and raised in Massachusetts, he currently resides here in Peterborough, loving the Monadnock life.
Circulation Support: Kathryn Manning
Extension: 227
Email: kmanning@ledgertranscript.com
Kathryn joined the Ledger-Transcript in August 2023. She grew up in Jaffrey climbing Mt. Monadnock, swimming at Gilmore, and bicycling to Silver Ranch for ice cream and horseback rides. At 19, she moved to Montreal, Canada where hockey captured the hearts of her three sons and the city itself captured hers. Two decades later, back in the Monadnock area, Kathryn spent nearly three decades working in libraries at Dartmouth College and Keene State College. Now working part-time for the Ledger-Transcript with a marvelous team of co-workers.
The aim of the Opinion section, both in print and at www.ledgertranscript.com, is to elevate the conversation in our communities by giving space to thoughtful, reasoned perspective. The section features a range of perspectives and ideas and offers a platform for people to share their voices directly with readers in the form of a Viewpoint or Letter to the Editor.
The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript sees the Opinion section as an opportunity to
practice engagement journalism, which combines community
engagement with traditional news reporting, resulting in
journalism that aims to serve the community and reflect their
interests and needs.
Opinion-based content in the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript falls into two categories: Viewpoint and Letters to the Editor. These are separate from the news reporting done on local topics by Monadnock Ledger-Transcript staff.
Readers and members of the community submit Viewpoints and Letters to the Editor to the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. They appear both in print and online.
Those wishing to submit a Viewpoint or Letter to the Editor must
be in the Monadnock region or have a clearly stated direct connection to
the region. The Opinion section features content submitted by
readers and members of the community, selected by an editor to be
published. Those submitting a Viewpoint or Letter to the Editor are
not paid and are not Monadnock Ledger-Transcript staff members. Content in the
Opinion section stands completely separate from the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript's
news coverage.
In an effort to make the distinction between opinion essays
submitted by members of the community and news articles written
by reporters more clear, all Viewpoints posted online will include
this tagline:
Viewpoints are opinion-based essays submitted by Monadnock Ledger-Transcript readers
and members of the community. Writers are not
paid for their submissions. The views expressed in Viewpoints are
those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of
the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript and its staff. Learn more about the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript's
opinion policy here.
Submissions that have blatantly false information will be
rejected. Submissions that praise or criticize private
businesses, unless they address a larger issue, will not be
accepted.
Writers are encouraged to challenge ideas, but personal attacks or attacks based on gender, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation, among others, are not allowed. The editors reserve the right to refuse content they feel does not meet our values of civil debate.
Every submission will be read and reviewed by an editor, however we do not have the capacity to respond to every submission. Likewise, while we try to inform a writer when a selected piece will appear in the paper, we cannot guarantee advance notice. All Viewpoints and letters chosen for publication will also appear at www.ledgertranscript.com.
We work to allow the writer to maintain their voice. We do edit for spelling, grammar, style and clarity and we also fact-check when we feel a statistic, quote or assertion is suspect. We do not and cannot check every fact in every submission. Letters that include intentionally false information, or letters based in conspiracy theories, will be flagged, and the writer will be contacted regarding the error. We reserve the right to permanently exclude any writer we feel is purposely submitting false information.
Letters and Viewpoints should be in the writer's own words. Writers can, of course, use properly attributed quotations. Letters or Viewpoints that include suspected plagiarism will be flagged, and the writer will be contacted regarding the suspected plagiarism. We reserve the right to exclude any writer we feel is purposely plagiarizing content.
We do not under any circumstance pass along contact information received during the submission process to others outside Newspapers of New England, the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript's publishing company.
Letters to the Editor are submissions of up to 300 word that pertain to local, community or state topics or issues. Letters can also be a response to other articles or columns. Candidate endorsements are permitted, and candidates for local office may submit a letter informing readers of their candidacy. All letters are subject to editing.
Thank-you letters can be up to 200 words.
If you have an affiliation that is relevant to the topic of
your letter, please include that in the body of your letter. For
example, "As a town official, I believe"
Due to the format of the Letters section, only one name and town
can be listed in the signature. Those who would like a letter to
be on behalf of more than one person may write the name(s) into
the body of the letter. For example, "As residents of Greenfield,
Jane Smith and I believe"
To submit a letter, use the online form at https://www.ledgertranscript.com/Opinion/Submit-a-Letter.
Priority will be given to letter writers based in the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript's coverage area and on topics that more directly impact the region. However, you don't have to be a subscriber to submit a letter.
Letters must include a real name and town of residence in New Hampshire. Anonymous letters are not accepted. You will see a
confirmation message on the submission screen once your letter
has made it to our system.
Viewpoints are submissions that go deeper on an issue, written by someone who has a personal connection or an expertise in the subject matter, that the editors feel brings a valuable perspective. They are well reasoned, coherent, based in fact and drawn from a writer's expertise or experience. For example:
Viewpoints typically run from 400-800 words, although submissions that are shorter or longer may also be considered.
We do not accept Viewpoints that promote an individual's political campaign or organization. However, candidate endorsements and announcements are permitted in Letters to the Editor.
To submit a Viewpoint, send an email to
news@ledgertranscript.com with the submission in the body of the
email. Make sure to include your full name, your credentials (if
relevant to the subject), and the town you live in. Anonymous
submissions are not accepted.
Professions, titles and academic degrees may be included in the
author's attribution when relevant to the topic being written
about. If you have taken a photo that coincides with the
submission that you would like considered as well, please send as
an attachment to your email.
_____________
Questions? Contact editor Bill Fonda at news@ledgertranscript.com
The following policies have been crafted from Monadnock Ledger-Transcript institutional knowledge, industry best practices, and successful examples cited by other news organizations.
The following policies are set up to help us provide accurate, consistent and transparent reporting and to help readers understand our goals and what we stand for as a newsroom. We view these policies as guidelines that may be modified or updated based on feedback from our readers, a change in industry standards or our newsroom's perception of additional needs. At this time, the following policies apply only to stories written by Monadnock Ledger-Transcript staff that appear in our print edition or at www.ledgertranscript.com.
Our goal is to always provide accurate information. If we learn that information we published is factually inaccurate we will publicly correct the mistake as soon as possible. In print, corrections and clarifications run on either Page 2 or Page 3. They are also added as an Editor's Note either above or below a previously published online article. When our reporting is factually correct, but the language is unclear or requires more detail, a clarification may be published at the discretion of the editors To report inaccuracies, please email news@ledgertranscript.com to point out the error and if possible direct us to the correct information. Please use "Correction" in the subject line of the email.
The purpose of the Opinion section, both in print and at www.ledgertranscript.com, is to elevate the conversation in our communities by giving space to thoughtful, reasoned commentary. The section features a range of perspectives and ideas, submitted by readers and community members, and offers a platform for people to share their voices. Those wishing to submit content to the opinion section must be in New Hampshire or have a clearly stated direct connection to the state. Full information and guidelines for the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript's community-submitted opinion content, including how to submit a Letter to the Editor or Viewpoint, can be found in our Opinion Policy.
The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript publishes paid obituaries both in the paper and at www.ledgertranscript.com. Obituaries are printed as submitted by families and funeral homes. Obituaries intended for the next day's paper must be submitted by 1 p.m.
We publish paid engagement, anniversary and wedding announcements submitted through the advertising department's celebrations platform.
The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript and its readership value civility, and in order to maintain that we have established community guidelines for responding to articles. Due to the volume of comments and limitations of our small team, we are unable to moderate all comments posted on social media, but we will do our best to remove objectionable material and commenters that frequently do not meet our values of civil debate.
We encourage readers to respond to articles by submitting a Letter to the Editor using our online form here. Our Opinion section provides a platform for readers to respond to articles or comment on local, community or state topics, and is moderated by an editor.
Here's what we want in Letters to the Editor and public comments:
Here's what we don't want in Letters to the Editor and public comments:
The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript generally will not identify a victim or survivor of domestic or sexual violence or abuse, or those at risk of imminent harm unless the individual explicity expresses the desire to be named or publicly identifies themself. However, identification may be approved by an editor depending on specific circumstances.
The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript also generally does not identify minors, whether they are involved with, accused of, or witnesses to a crime. Identification may be approved by an editor depending on specific circumstances such as whether police have formally released the minor's name or if it involves a matter of public safety.
When reporting on a death by suicide, the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript will report the death as a suicide and keep information about the location, person and note (if applicable) general. If including the method of suicide is deemed directly relevant to the story, we will not dwell on the details, as that could become impactful for some readers. We will avoid using terms that may promote stigma, stereotypes or further harm and instead use language that is clear and in line with best practices such as those from The Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide. We will also include relevant information regarding local crisis assistance and treatment resources as well as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) and Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741) within the article.
The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript seeks to report the truth, minimize harm, and be responsive to the community. Requests to remove content from the online archives will be considered on an individual basis and take into account the person's interest in removing the content and the public's interest in the content remaining available. In general, we will not remove a published article in its entirety, but may make changes or updates if further editorial action is deemed necessary by an editor.
When a removal request is being considered, the individual may be asked to provide copies of related legal or other documents as proof. We will not accept requests from companies, government agencies, or lawyers on behalf of an individual. When an article is altered due to a content removal request, we will include an editor's note to the online article with an update that content has been removed.
We aim to include voices from multiple perspectives and provide well-rounded context in our stories. When we reach out to an individual for comment and they don't respond by the print deadline, we will provide the details surrounding our outreach within the article (i.e. the individual, group or organization we tried to reach and how we tried to reach them.) We aim to give sources time to respond, generally speaking, at least 24 hours. We do not mislead sources and when reaching out will identify ourselves as reporters for the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. We do not share a draft of an article with individuals outside of the newsroom prior to publication. Reporters and editors are able to provide clarity for those with questions about the article process.
We publish information from official, trusted sources or sources that we have verified, and will provide access to source material when available. We rely on information coming from readers, community stakeholders, local and regional government leaders and industry experts. We will clearly identify our sources so readers can understand the context around a quote, source or piece of information.
Our goal is to provide readers with stories that are accurate, valuable and relevant to their lives and communities. We aim to reflect what people are talking about in their communities with our coverage by publishing stories of high interest to readers and those we feel are important to bring to the community. We determine what to cover based on a number of factors, including local relevance, expressed interest and value, and online viewership. We hope our coverage encourages readers to get engaged within their communities.
Our reporters are dedicated to a beat or subject area, which allows them to focus deeply on a topic, area or community. The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript's reporter beats include education, sports and specific cities, towns and regions.
Feedback from readers also helps us understand what is most useful and interesting. You can help guide our coverage by offering feedback in multiple ways, including:
We are a small, dedicated staff working to effectively and comprehensively cover our communities, towns and state, but we do not always have the bandwidth to dedicate a reporter to every story, issue or event. However, there are multiple ways to get involved with the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript and highlight your team, group, club, school or town. We welcome news and photos of your team, group, club, school or town. You can email news@ledgertranscript.com or use our news tip form. Team coaches can use the Submit a Sport Score link.
The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript accepts gifts, grants and sponsorships to help sustain local news coverage. In all cases, the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript maintains complete editorial control in all aspects of its reporting. Our funders agree to support us because they value the role of a free and independent press. They have no influence on what or how we report and have no advance knowledge of specific stories we are pursuing. Accepting financial support does not mean we endorse donors or their products, services or opinions.
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