Opinion Submission Guidelines

Draft — subject to revision. Last updated May 14, 2026.

Pinal Post welcomes opinion submissions from Pinal County residents and stakeholders on issues affecting the community.

Who Can Submit

Submissions are accepted from Pinal County residents and individuals with a direct stake in local issues. Authors must provide their full name and contact information to Pinal Post prior to publication. Pen names are permitted, but the author’s full identity must be disclosed to Pinal Post. Authors should include a brief identification line such as their occupation, community affiliation, or role related to the topic.

Content Standards

Opinion submissions represent the views of the author, not Pinal Post. All submissions must meet the following standards:

• Factual claims must be grounded in verifiable, documented sources. Opinions, interpretations, predictions, and characterizations are the author’s own, but must be clearly distinguishable from statements of fact
• Submissions may not contain defamatory or unsubstantiated allegations about any identifiable individual, company, or organization
• Submissions should focus on ideas and policies rather than personal attacks
• Authors must disclose any personal or financial interest in the subject matter. Disclosures will be noted in the published piece
• Submissions must be original and not published elsewhere
• No profanity, including masked forms (sym&ols, d-shes, missing letters, etc.)

Length

Submissions should be as long as the material warrants and no longer, with a soft limit of 3,500 words. Submissions that cover the same ground repeatedly may be returned for revision.

Editorial Process

Submission does not guarantee publication. Pinal Post reserves the right to decline any submission. Accepted pieces may be edited for clarity, length, and factual accuracy. Substantive edits will be reviewed with the author before publication. Submissions containing material factual errors will be returned to the author for revision or declined. Pinal Post will not publish claims it cannot verify.

Corrections

Factual errors brought to our attention will be reviewed promptly. Confirmed errors will be corrected, and a correction note will be appended to the piece indicating what was changed and when. Significant corrections may also be noted at the top of the article.

Liability

By submitting a piece, the author represents that the content does not contain false statements, that the author has made reasonable efforts to verify all factual claims, and that the author accepts responsibility for the accuracy of all claims made.

AI Policy

Pinal Post uses artificial intelligence to support research, content drafting, and editing. All AI-assisted content is reviewed and fact-checked to maintain accuracy and editorial standards. Opinion submissions are welcome on the same basis — AI may be used to support research, drafting, and editing, but the research, argument, and conclusions must be the author’s own. The author is responsible for the accuracy and integrity of all submitted content regardless of tools used.

Featured Image

Submissions must include a featured image to accompany the published piece. Authors should provide both of the following:

• A social media image sized 1200 × 630 pixels
• A website article image sized 530 × 400 pixels

Authors are responsible for ensuring they have the rights to any submitted images. Acceptable sources include:

• Original photography or artwork by the author
• Licensed stock images (please provide the source and license information)
• Royalty-free or public domain images from reputable sources (e.g., Unsplash, Pexels, Wikimedia Commons), with the source noted
• AI-generated images, clearly disclosed as such, with the tool used noted (e.g., “Image generated using [tool name]”)

Please include a brief credit line with each image identifying the photographer, source, or generation method. Pinal Post reserves the right to request a different image or supply its own if the submitted image is unsuitable for publication.

How to Submit

Send submissions to [email protected]. Receipt of submissions will be confirmed by email.