Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Obituary Policy and Guidelines
What you need to know about obituaries, Legacy.com, service announcements and death notices
News-Miner Obituaries: The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner publishes death notices and obituaries of public interest in print and at newsminer.com. We cannot guarantee placement or date of publishing. We print only obituaries of current and former Alaska residents. Obituaries are run space-available and given priority by date of service. First-run obituaries have priority when space is short. Obituaries must be submitted within 6 months of the death.
Death notices: A death notice is a brief statement of the full name, age, date and place of death, and time, date and place of the service. Death notices are printed free of charge.
Obituaries: Obituaries are most often prepared by families or mortuaries under general newspaper guidelines and are edited by News-Miner staff. E-mailed obituaries are preferred at obituary@newsminer.com or through our online submission form. Obituaries may be dropped off at the News-Miner at 200 N. Cushman St. or faxed to 907-452-7917. Obituaries of up to 500 words are printed for a flat fee of $75. Obituaries to be written by a staff member may be requested by individuals or mortuaries for an additional $50. Longer obituaries are charged according to length at $25 for each additional 50 words to a maximum of 1,000 words.
Obituaries may be published twice with a doubled fee (ie $75 for one and $150 for two).
Submissions: Obituaries should be submitted to the newspaper through a mortuary and authorized by family members in charge of arrangements. If a local mortuary is not involved, obituaries and death notices may be submitted electronically using our online form. Obituaries submitted electronically must include family contact information. The form also includes fields for secure credit card payment. Staff help can be arranged by calling the newsroom at 459-7572 or via e-mail to obituary@newsminer.com. Staff will work only with family members who are in charge of final arrangements or with the mortuary.
Payment: Pre-payment is required unless the obituary is placed through an Alaska mortuary with a News-Miner account. All major credit cards are accepted by the secure online form. Payment by cash or check must be made at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner office at 200 North Cushman St., from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday only. Mortuaries with advertising accounts will be billed.
Deadlines: Obituary submissions for Tuesday-Saturday editions must be received by 2 p.m. the previous day. Submissions for the Sunday and Monday papers must be received by 2 p.m. Friday.
Legacy.com: Death notices and obituaries are published online at Legacy.com, hosted by newsminer.com, for 30 days as part of a regular obituary. All obituaries on Legacy.com have guest books. Families and friends may share memories and condolences in the guestbook. Families also may purchase expanded obituaries, photo slide shows, audio tributes and more through the Legacy.com web site. The address is www.newsminer.com/legacy.
Photos: Obituaries may include a photo. Photos should show the subject up close and in focus. The online submission form provides a place to upload a photo. All photos must be in the JPEG format and those of at least 150 dpi will print with the best quality. Most mortuaries and the News-Miner can also process photos for publication.
Icons: A flag, for U.S. military veterans, may be placed with an obituary at no cost. A variety of other icons, including religious and organizational symbols, may be included in obituaries for an additional $10. An obituary may include two icons or one photo and one icon.
News obituaries: To suggest a news story about the death of a newsworthy Alaskan, call the News Editor at 459-7575 or send an e-mail to newsroom@newsminer.com.
Copyright: All death notices and obituaries become the property of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and may be republished in any format.
Memoriams: Memoriam ads may be purchased for obituaries that fall outside our standard guidelines: for example, obituaries for people who have never lived in Alaska, for a death that occurred more than six months earlier, or to mark the anniversary of a death. Memoriams may be written to any length, edited and designed as families choose; they are handled as advertising by the advertising department. Contact the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Advertising Department at 459-7548 for rates and guidelines.
Bereavement/Thank you ads: Family members may run one thank you ad free of charge in the News-Miner. The information and photo for the two-column by 3-inch ad must be submitted by 10 a.m. two business days prior to publication. For example, Monday morning at 10 a.m. for the Wednesday paper. For Saturday, Sunday or Monday publication the material must be received by 10 a.m. on Thursday. Contact the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Advertising Department at 459-7548 for information.
