Writing for The Forum

There are three principles to keep in mind when writing for The Forum–relevance, accuracy, and fairness. Along with our Rules of Conduct, these principles will guide our publication, moderation, and editing of all content on the Forum. If you ever feel your content has been unreasonably edited, please review these principles and then contact us with your issue.

Relevance
Keep the story relevant. When you have a post idea, ask yourself, “Why would someone at the Claremont Colleges want to read this?” That foreign policy paper you read may have been terribly interesting, but we don’t need to rehash it on The Forum–that’s what other publications are for.
Keep it local, keep it relevant.

Accuracy
You (and only you) are responsible for what you say–make sure it’s factually correct. The Forum will back you up if a mistake was made in good faith, but we will not fact check for you. Link to every source you use: not only will you seem more credible, you’ll get more readers.
You are responsible for your own accuracy.

Fairness
What you publish is available to anyone everywhere, and it could end up affecting people’s lives. Always consider whether you’re being moral, ethical, and honest. So don’t take cheap shots–at another writer, at a fellow CMCer, at anyone.
Simply put, don’t be petty or rude. Be fair.

A Note on Grammar
The informal tone of The Forum might make you a little lazy about grammar, but good grammar, spelling, and writing gives us credibility. We’ll edit for all of the above and sometimes for clarity and style.