Launching Soon – Add Balanced Monthly Political Commentary to Your Pages Starting August 4th

In response to the ongoing challenge of presenting fair and balanced political viewpoints in today’s polarized climate, the INA is launching a new initiative designed to support your newsroom’s mission of providing thoughtful, equitable political discourse.

Beginning with the Maquoketa Sentinel-Press and now available for all member newspapers, we are coordinating a program that gives each of Iowa’s major political parties the opportunity to submit monthly columns on a topic of interest to Iowans.

Each month, newspapers will receive two columns—one from a Republican writer and one from a Democrat—each limited to 750 words. These columns are intended for your opinion or editorial pages and are designed to be published side by side to ensure balance and clarity for your readers. The Columns & Opinions page, or a similar section in your paper, is a fitting home for this feature.  To participate, you must commit to running both columns.

Our goal is to provide your readers with a fair, consistent platform for both political parties, giving them the opportunity to engage with diverse viewpoints. Should only one party submit a column in any given month, we will include an editor’s note explaining the absence of the other party’s submission.

This program reflects our shared commitment to journalistic fairness, civil discourse, and informed citizenship. We encourage you to take advantage of this resource and integrate it into your weekly editorial offerings.