CU Boulder Today Editorial Guidelines
CU Boulder Today, managed by , is the primary campus news publication. The online publication is filled with up-to-date university-related news, feature stories, videos, profiles and announcements.
A series of newsletters from the publication goes out regularly via email to the campus community. The student editions and faculty-staff editions are distributed multiple days per week during the academic year and summer term. Additional editions include a New Buffs edition for incoming students and a Forever Buffs edition for outgoing students, preparing to graduate.
Tips to Consider
The following are guidelines for news and feature stories that appear in CU Boulder Today:
- Direct connection to CU Boulder.
- Broad appeal across the entire university community—faculty-staff and/or students and/or general public.
- Strong news hook, with the final decision on newsworthiness being at the discretion of Strategic Relations and Communications.
Journalist Style
The writers and editors of CU Boulder Today adhere to journalistic style and commit to correcting any errors of fact.
The editors of CU Boulder Today also exercise editorial judgment and control of what appears online and in all final editions of the publication. Submissions for publication will not be accepted if they are potentially libelous or obscene; malign specific individuals or groups; or promote or endorse a product, service, political candidate or party.
All submissions are subject to editing for clarity, length and adherence to Associated Press and CU Boulder style.
Defining the Audience
CU Boulder Today is designed to be of interest to broad segments of the campus community. If your item does not relate to a majority of the campus community, there are other outlets through which your message can better reach your target audience.
For example, a news item advertising a workshop for postdoctoral students in a specific academic discipline is not ideal for the faculty-staff newsletter.
For assistance in targeting niche audiences, it’s best to contact your school or college's communicator/communications team or seek departmental resources.
In some cases, the campus or the are appropriate, and campus member postings to these platforms may be considered for CU Boulder Today newsletters.
Submission Form Pointers
If you are using the CU Boulder Today submission form to share content for consideration, here are some pointers:
Preferred publish date: While we make every effort to accommodate requested dates, the editors reserve the right to use discretion regarding the selection of content, publish dates and slotting content into editions. Publishing typically involves a combination of posting on the website and subsequently running content, as appropriate, in the email editions; all steps in this process do not necessarily occur on the same day. Your preferred publish date is the date of posting on the website, not inclusion in editions.
Thumbnail photo: CU Boulder Today relies on quality photos to help tell your story. If there is a preferred photo, please include the high-resolution image (minimum width of 1,500 pixels, preferably 2,000 pixels) with your submission. No screenshots. Horizontal photos with an editorial perspective are preferred whenever possible. Please keep in mind the image will be displayed in a variety of crops and sizes across the CU Boulder Today website.
If no art is submitted or the asset does not meet our editorial standards, staff will select or replace the art at our discretion. If there are smaller images you would like to include in the body of the text, they should have a minimum size of 300x300 pixels for best results. Inappropriate or off-topic assets will cause your submission to be rejected. Please also make sure you have the rights to use the image you select. Visit our photography database for a wide variety of campus images.
Subscription Information
CU Boulder students and employees are automatically subscribed to CU Boulder Today based on their primary affiliation with the university.
Also, individuals maysubscribe to receive the editions of their choosing. To unsubscribe, individuals need to click on “manage your email preferences” at the bottom of a CU Boulder Today email edition.