There is often confusion about what appears in this viewpoint section and how these opinion pages are distinct from the other pages in this newspaper and our news stories.
There is often confusion about what appears in this viewpoint section and how these opinion pages are distinct from the other pages in this newspaper and our news stories.
The Journal’s opinion pages are just that - individual people’s opinions, whether it’s the opinions of our columnists, our editor, our publisher or members of the general public who choose to write to us. In these pages, people are allowed to express their own thoughts. This is distinct from our news stories or articles, where we strive to be balanced and fair, and interview different people to give different sides to a story. Often times, people will confuse the two, referring to letters, editorials or columns as news “articles,&” which they are not.
Last week, the St. Paul Journal ran a letter from a reader that was critical of MP Brian Storseth. It is clear that Storseth has strong support in the community, judging from the vociferous comments the Journal got in response to the letter. People called referring to the letter as an “article,&” saying the newspaper should never have run such a letter, that the writer must have had help in writing it, that the paper should have interviewed the other side, and several other comments that did not accept the letter writer had a right to express his views.
There are two points the Journal would like to make clear. First, this paper strives not to present information as true if it can be proven factually inaccurate. Second, the fact of the matter is that every person in our country is entitled to freedom of speech. This paper is a forum for people to exercise their right to freedom of speech. If letter writers want to offer opinions on elected officials or government policy, then that is their right. Elected officials do a wonderful job for our community and represent their towns, counties and ridings to the best of their abilities. But they know best of all that being in the public eye and making decisions for taxpayers on how to use public dollars can be contentious and they know to expect criticism on occasion.
The newspaper’s role and duty is to provide a forum for discussion - regardless of whether or not we at the newsroom agree with that viewpoint - rather than muzzling it. That is what we will continue to do.
