Editorial pages: the first chat rooms

Logo The editorial pages have been called the heart and soul of the newspaper.
Perhaps more correctly, they are the newspaper's conscience.
Unlike the rest of the paper, these pages are devoted exclusively to opinions. They are the original chat rooms, existing long before anyone, even Al Gore, conceived of the Internet. While the rest of the pages bombard you with facts, the editorial and op-ed (short for "opposite editorial") pages attempt to put all these facts in perspective and give the greater world some sense of meaning.
They do this in a variety of ways, many of which are, unfortunately, misunderstood by the public at-large. As the editorial staff, we are not here to tell you how to think. We are not here to push opinions down your throat. We have two overriding goals: to improve the community generally and to provide for a healthy debate of important issues.
On the left-hand side of the editorial page are unsigned essays written under the label "In our opinion." These represent the opinion of the newspaper's editorial board, which consists of John Hughes, the paper's editor; Rick Hall, the managing editor; Wendy Ogata, the assistant managing editor; Jay Evensen, the editorial page editor; and John Robinson and Marjorie Cortez, both editorial writers. This is a diverse group, representing a wide and impressive background in reporting, editing and public service.
Every morning, these people meet to discuss the burning issues of the day and hash out points of view. Sometimes the meetings are lively as opinions differ. At the end, they generally end in a consensus opinion that an editorial writer is assigned to express.
We are unapologetic about these editorials. Our aim is to steer community thinking and champion causes we feel are important. For example, at the beginning of each year, we outline specific goals on which to focus our attention. This year, the editorial page is working to reform education in Utah, allowing for greater choice and accountability; to turn the focus of the 2002 Winter Games away from scandal and toward producing a quality product; and to persuade local governments to get a handle on growth by adopting master plans that focus on large, regional issues.
But we recognize that others may hold different opinions, and that is why virtually everything else on the two pages is devoted to a discussion of issues from varying points of view.
The most popular part of the editorial page is the Readers' Forum, where readers are allowed to express their own opinions in letters to the editor. Here, we go out of our way to publish opinions that differ with our own. On occasion, we also allow people with a demonstrated expertise on particular subjects to write longer essays in a column we call "My View."
Every day, we conduct mini town hall meetings with these features. So many people want to participate that we often have to judiciously select and edit the letters we think state their author's opinion best. Here's a hint: If you want to participate, keep your submission short — to about 250 words or less. You can either mail them to P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110; fax them to 1-801-237-2530; or e-mail them to letters@desnews.com. We require a phone number and address so we can verify your identity, but we won't publish any of this, except for the name of your city.
Cartoons also are enormously popular, and they often can express an opinion much more powerfully than the written word. The Deseret News has some of the best in the business on its pages. Local cartoonist Jonathan Brown tackles issues of interest to Utahns with a sharp wit. A strong lineup of syndicated cartoonists also adds to our pages.
Finally, we provide a strong variety of local and national columnists whose signed opinions provide perspective on far-reaching issues of interest. Our local columnists, made up of reporters and editorial writers at the Deseret News, consistently win awards for their skilled opinion writing. You may not always agree with them, but they always will make you think and occasionally will make you want to join the debate.
And that, after all, is what makes these pages so much fun.

E-MAIL: even@desnews.com

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