Much of the content of the Unification News consists of unsolicited material from our world-wide readership. This is just as well since the newspaper has the minimum of staffing, and we just cannot keep up with all that is happening.
In case you might suspect that you are called to write something for the Unification community, we have created these guidelines to encourage you into action.
Categories
News
Any event you participated in that is of interest and significance to the Unification community. Your own interpretation of the events should be indicated (To my mind, this shows that ") as well as quoting authorities (Senator Helms has gone on record saying that ").
Photos are really helpful in making news reports come alive.
Write a snappy headline. Two lines are OK.
Include your byline, your name and city/state (or country) which you are reporting from.
Opinion
Know your place is a helpful admonition in writing about how you think things really are. Realize there are probably limits to your wisdom and omniscience and write about things other people can accept you as an authority on. Running the Providence is probably not one of these things-certain exceptions obviously are exceptions.
If you need the support of "Father says "", please use a literature reference. "In the notes I took during Father's speech after Carnegie Hall "" is occasionally an acceptable substitute. "I remember he said "" is not appropriate if you are trying to make a substantial point.
Illustrations or a simple chart can help make the article attractive.
Write a catchy headline that encapsulates your article along with your name and city/state which you are reporting from.
Poetry
Short and evocative is the maxim here. Without meaning to demean the discipline, poetry usually ends up as filler-poetry tends to find a home on a page when everything else planned for that page has some room left over. Just the right space for your poem has to remain and, as our planning is not too inaccurate, these spaces tend to be small.
Multiple submissions are fine if they are good-Dr. Hendricks is a ruthless critic of the poetic arts.
In Memoriam
We rely on our readers to supply a testimonial to a member of our community who has passed on to spirit world. Photos are really appreciated here and we always return them.
Photos
Photographs and illustrations greatly enhance the appeal of an article. In a pinch, buy a one-time-use camera; they are only about $10.
Photos will be returned to you.
No negatives, please. 8" x 10" max.
Write short captions for those photos that need them.
Submission
In general order of preference, your submission can be:
* computer floppy disc, Mac or IBM 3.5 or 5". Formats: Word 5.x or 6.x, WordPerfect 5.x (not 6!) or lower. ASCII or unformatted plain text. Contact the office if you want to send in computer graphics files. A layer of aluminum foil wrapped around the disc seems to prevent any problems in the mail. Include a printout in case of problems.
* Over the Internet either as an e-mail containing the article or as an attached file (America Online subscribers only). Photos and illustrations must be sent by regular "snail" mail, however. Contact the office if you want to send in computer graphics files over the Internet.
* Typed or neatly-handwritten manuscript.
* Fax in the manuscript. Use a largish font as faxes can have poor resolution. Photos and illustrations must be sent by regular mail.
Example
An example of a submission that it would be a pleasure to receive is:
* a 3.5 IBM disc with a report of a children's summer camp written in WordPerfect 5.1
* a printout of the article
* a catchy headline, a byline with the name and city/state of the author
* contact information for finding out about next year's summer camp
* five evocative color snaps of the event: a group shot, two long shots and two close-ups.
Contact Information
Unification News
4 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
(212) 997-0050 x208
Fax: (212) 768-0791
E-mail: unews@aol.com