Blog: The editor's desk
News-Miner editorials: Unsigned is not anonymous
Published Thursday, February 28, 2008
The masthead in the print edition of the News-Miner lists members of the editorial board including myself, Publisher Marilyn Romano, Assistant Managing Editor Rod Boyce, Columnist Dermot Cole and Publisher Emeritus Charles Gray.
Each day the paper and our Web site feature what some call an “unsigned editorial” that is representative of the newspaper’s and the board’s view.
Lately a couple of anonymous noisemakers commenting on the Web site have been harping about the “anonymous” editorials as some sort of evidence of the decline of journalism. This is just wrong-headed. The editorial has a long tradition as a view that represents the publishing institution. The words belong to the newspaper, not an individual, and I believe that distinction is not only important but it is valuable.
Our daily editorials are not individually by-lined, but they most certainly are not anonymous. In print they appear under the newspaper’s masthead. Online they appear under the title “News-Miner Editorial.” Staff and editor listings are found elsewhere on the Web site.
I’ve written for this newspaper for 22 years as a reporter, section editor and columnist and let me tell you, nothing is as difficult or sometimes frustrating as writing the newspaper’s editorial — not that I don’t enjoy the challenge.
Rod Boyce and I write most of the editorials these days. If one of us is on vacation Dermot Cole chips in. Marilyn Romano hasn’t written an editorial yet — and I say “yet” because she has talked about trying her hand at it more than once. Chuck Gray doesn’t write either, but he has been affiliated with the News-Miner for six decades and when he calls up and says, “hey, we should be saying something about subject X,” we usually say something about subject X.
People like the anonymous Web commenter called “corporate_news_decoder” probably will doubt that the people who own the paper have very little to do with daily editorials. They don’t, beyond the fact that they put the people in place who produce them. That is why Chuck Gray remained a member of the board after the sale of the paper in 1991. Plus, we just like the idea of being able to call on him whenever we need his point of view.
When the paper was purchased, when I was promoted to editor in 1995, and repeatedly over the years, members of the Dean Singleton and Dick Scudder families (owners of the paper) have told us they cherish the News-Miner’s traditions and independence. They also own MediaNews Group and I’ve listened to them talk about how they get a kick out of owning some papers that are quite liberal in their traditions and others that are remarkably conservative. They especially like those that have regionally unique points of view compared to the rest of the country.
When I am the one to write the editorial, I’m highly conscious that the words are not solely “mine.” They are representative of the board and of the newspaper as a local business and a century-old community entity. Not every aspect of every editorial enjoys 100 percent agreement from all members of the board, but the overall point usually is agreed upon – or at least compromised upon.
That makes the editorial something quite different than an individual’s column, and the process of discussion, compromise and group collaboration to represent the newspaper’s viewpoint — especially when weighed against the paper’s long traditions — provides a kind of opinion for a community to consider that is unlike any other. No one person’s name belongs atop that kind of piece.
Kelly,
I respect and appreciate that you wrote this rebuttal to that guy news-de-coder. I do however have an issue with some of the editorials that have been written recently. I think that the newsminer should stand firmly with Fairbanksans, and not big oil and big corps. like Banner Health. I also realize that MY opinion is just that....an opinion. Also, I KNOW my opinion is not shared by many in Fairbanks. It seems like many, but not all, times I side with Michael Dukes and alot of the KFAR crowd. If you were to ask many of them, they would tell you that I am out in "left field". I do want to express to you that I cherish this new forum that the newsminer has created. This is something that will REALLY take hold. I have seen this happen on a media station back in NC where I grew up many decades ago. If you want to see how it will explode...check out WRAL-TV in Raleigh and their Go Local managing editor Angela Connor. They started this same sort of thing in July last year...it languished for several months and now they are at 5,400+ members. Granted, they have a much bigger population, but it really has exploded. I hope the Newsminer can keep this going, and keep it going unedited. Best wishes to you and the staff, but please understand that many of us here are NOT happy with Big Oil and Banner Health. Thanks for your time.
By the way, Tell Bob Ely, that John G. said hello.
Interesting is the fact that this is just like any other liberal newspaper. Just keep it green and PC like the lower 48 and soon we will all be consumed like the rest... Blogs, comments, editorials going no where! Just the way they like it. Don't worry that "BIG oil and so called health providers are running our state, shhhhhhhhh don't make them pay 2.5 billion in fines because it might put a dent in the stockholders pocketbook that only totals a lousy 50 billion or so they tell us....... We all forget who pays taxes untill someone reminds us that it is "BIG GOVERNMENT" that we provide the money to control our lives.... I think mabey Hugo Chaves is not so stupid after all.... He took over the countries resources and now he is a villian as we are told by the local news providers... hmmmm health providers... news providers.... Whatever!!!! www.ftknox.com
Now that the newsminer webpage has joined the interactive-forum internet age, there is one extremely important bit of advice that you should always keep in the back of your mind.
Don't feed the trolls.
Some people love to tell others they are wrong. Just ignore em, and they start to fade into the background. Fight with them, and they'll drag you down to their level of idiocy and beat you with experience.
Thats my pearl of the day.
maybe I should come up with one every day...
I'm so confused...is the DNM a liberal or conservative paper? It seems that no one can make up their mind.... ;)
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