A few days ago, HopNews published a letter to the editor from a resident asking about a school committee member’s absences from meetings.

Since then, we’ve learned that Ms. Stephenson, the committee member in question, is fighting cancer. We’re truly sorry to hear about her illness, and we wish her strength and a full recovery.

Set the record straight

No one at HopNews wrote that letter—it came from a Hopkinton resident, as we made clear when we published it. The letter raised fair questions about an elected official’s ongoing absence.

Residents have every right to know if their representatives can do the job. Questions about board participation and decision-making are part of healthy civic life.

But lately, the conversation has gone off the rails. What started as a public discussion turned personal, with attacks on HopNews, the School Committee, Ms. Stephenson, and others. The discussion devolved into name-calling and vitriol instead of honest debate. Thus, we closed comments on the original letter.

HopNews welcomes strong opinions, but not cruelty. Anyone may comment, but comments must remain on topic and avoid personal attacks.

Going forward

We’re tightening up our policies for letters to the editor (LTE) and comments. Clearer rules will help keep the conversation respectful and productive, without stifling anyone’s right to speak their mind.

Submission Requirements

• Include your name. We allow anonymity when necessary so everyone feels safe sharing.
• Town of residence.
• Phone number for verification (won’t be published).
• Email address for verification (won’t be published).
• We welcome commentary about local issues, policies, or events.

What we will publish

• Questions about municipal operations.
• Constructive criticism of public officials’ actions or decisions.
• Advocacy for community positions.

What we will not publish

• Personal attacks or name-calling.
• Speculation about anyone’s health, family, or private life.
• Profanity, vulgar language, or defamatory statements.
• Harassment, threats, misinformation, or deliberate falsehoods.
• Commercial advertising.

Length and Editing

• Keep your letter under 400 words.
• We reserve the right to edit for length, clarity, libel, or accuracy.
• If we need to make major changes, we’ll reach out to you before publication.

Publication Standards

• Focus on officials’ actions—not their character.
• Critique decisions, votes, or policies, but don’t attack people.
• Stick to facts from public meetings, documents, or official statements.
• Don’t speculate about private matters.
• Be specific. Reference particular meetings, votes, or actions. Vague complaints don’t help anyone.
• We won’t publish multiple letters repeating the same argument.

Right to Refuse

• HopNews can decline any letter or comment.
• Reasons for refusal include violating these guidelines, unverifiable claims, repetitive content, or off-topic material.

Comment Moderation

• Published letters may receive reader comments.
• We moderate all comments.
• We will remove personal attacks, off-topic remarks, abusive language, or misinformation. Commenters who continue to make unsavory comments will be blocked.
• We’ll close comments if the discussion turns uncivil.

Fact-Checking

• We will fact-check letters before publication—within reason. For example, we will verify whether a committee member has missed the number of meetings specified in the LTE. However, we will not call the committee chair to ask whether the committee member is sick. That is not our business, nor is it the community’s.
• Sources must be provided for factual claims.
• We will not publish letters with unverifiable assertions.

How to Submit

• Email letters to editor@old.hopnews.com.
• Write “Letter to the Editor” or “LTE” in the subject line.

Questions?

• Reach out to the editor at editor@old.hopnews.com.
• HopNews stays committed to honest, informed community conversation—and to respect and accuracy in everything we publish.