There is one aspect of this job that consistently befuddles readers.
OK, actually there are several.
But people are always dumbfounded when they learn that I disagree with the stances taken by some of our columnists - but still run them in the newspaper.
Liberals constantly want to know if I agree with the positions often espoused by Chris Freind and Christine Flowers, very likely two of the most conservative voices in the region.
The simple answer is no, but that does not mean I don't run them.
Likewise, conservative readers basically blow a gasket every Friday when they read the stance of Jodine Mayberry, conversely one of the most liberal voices in the region. They think I am in cahoots with Jodine in pushing what they perceive as the newpaper's longtime liberal bent. They never seem to mention Freind or Flowers.
This is what has been known in the newspaper industry as "the marketplace of ideas."
That's what a good op-ed section does.
It's not a conservative stance; it's not a liberal rant.
It is all voices.
That is why I also routinely write letters and columns taking our standing columnists to task and voicing strong opposition to what what they have written.
Could I simply spike a column I disagree with? Sure. But that's not something I'm likely to do anytime soon.
In short, that is a very slippery slope toward censorship, anathema to anyone who truly believes in a free press.
By all means, if you disagree with what you are reading, pick up a pen (or sit in front of a keyboard) and join the conversation.
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