Newspaper opinions a necessity, not a contradiction
It perplexes me every time I hear it, and I hear it surprisingly often around campus.
“If CM Life is supposed to be an unbiased news source, why do you have an opinion page?”
I fight every elitist journalism snob instinct I have to laugh and dismiss whoever asks this, because it is a question that is not addressed often enough.
Quite simply, we have this medium, this forum, this voice, and it would be irresponsible not to use it.
The goal of the news desk is to report happenings at Central Michigan University and the outlying community accurately, without bias and in as timely a manner as we can, either in our print editions three times a week or online as soon as it happens.
The Voices section is meant to allow a forum for to us share the views and opinions of anybody who cares to do so, including columnists, readers and community members.
The aim is to give all voices and views equal time and space, and not exclude anybody who cares enough to share theirs. However, we also hold the Voices section to a standard of quality as far as use of reason and factual content. We’re not going to publish pure hatred or unreasoned drivel in the limited space we have.
What seems to be the most misunderstood is the CM Life editorial board, which represents the voices and opinions of the staff of this publication as an entity. These do not represent the views of any one editor, reporter or staff member (and quite regularly contradict them), which is why they are presented without a byline.
Publishing editorials is not just about influencing the opinion of the readers, but also disclosure. Every person at every publication on the planet has opinions on the subjects they cover. As a discerning consumer, I am far more concerned that opinions are influencing news reporting at publications that do not disclose their views than those that do.
As Voices Editor, it is my goal to encourage critical thinking and inspire dialog between this publication and its readers, as well as between the readers. I will also try to maintain a high level of quality and a balance of varied opinions from varied sources.
That’s my job. The reader’s job is to raise their voice if they do not believe this job is being done effectively, or they have a grievance or opinion of their own to share.
Write or e-mail me. You will not be ignored.
