Does the Tribune-Star’s editorial page favor and, therefore, publish more liberal viewpoints than conservative ones? Or is the opposite true? Is the answer somewhere in between?
Those questions and the debate surrounding them were around long before I began working on the editorial page 16 years ago. I’ve addressed them periodically through the years whenever I explained our editorial page philosophy, but I suspect some readers still try to find secret veins of bias and favoritism to bolster their claims.
A few months ago, however, I received an e-mail message from a reader than took a fresh approach to the issue. This reader actually kept a tally on editorial page opinions and posted the results in an Internet forum.
That message came from Judy Dukes of Terre Haute, and here is what it said:
“I belong to an online Yahoo Group — the Terre Haute Cafe. We talk about every subject we can think of, including politics.
“I got tired of hearing the conservatives on the site blaming their disappointments on the ‘liberal media.’ Beginning March 28, 2006, I started keeping score in the Tribune-Star.
“I limited this to columnists and letters to the editor.
“The score as of today was:
“Columnists: liberals 7; conservatives 8.
“Letters: liberals 10; conservatives 6.
“This looks pretty balanced to me. Were I an editor who really wanted to be fair, I would publish an even number of columnists, and publish the letters in proportion to their numbers, and if one side had more than the other, so be it. It appears to me that that is what you are doing.
“Being a liberal myself, I have mixed feelings about my observations. On the one hand, I want the liberals to win, but on the other hand, I want to prove that there is no liberal bias.
“I know it’s much more complicated than this, but this is what I’m doing right now. The others in the group have urged me to continue at least past the primaries.
“I have no complaint about the balance. I really appreciate the paper.”
Judy makes some good observations. And here’s the way I see the lineup.
By design, our syndicated conservative columnists are William Rusher, John Leo and Kathleen Parker (twice a week). Our liberal columnists are Ellen Goodman and Molly Ivins. We also publish the libertarian views of Nat Hentoff, which sometimes align with conservatives, other times with liberals. We publish state-oriented columns from Andrea Neal and others from the Indiana Policy Review, which carry a strong conservative orientation. Brian Howey’s political column is moderate, but sometimes leans liberal. Morton Marcus, the renowned IU economist, brings a liberal slant.
We publish other syndicated columns periodically, but those listed above are the routine columnists.
Balance is definitely the goal. From this lineup of commentators, readers can get a blend of opinion and viewpoints and gain a good perspective from various points on the philosophical spectrum.
As far as letters are concerned, Judy is also correct in assuming that if more liberal than conservative letters on a subject are published, then more were received. What you see in Readers’ Forum is an accurate reflection of the sentiments of those who take the time to write us.
There are some changes coming to the editorial page soon, including at least one new syndicated columnist. I will write more about that next time. Stay tuned.
Editor Max Jones can be reached at (812) 231-4336, or by e-mail at max.jones@tribstar.com.
Max Jones
Views swing left, right, but balance is in center
- Max Jones
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MAX JONES: The American Newspaper: Changing? Yes. Dying? No way!
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MAX JONES: Newspapers have story to tell about bright future
Rarely does a week go by when someone doesn’t call, write or stop me on the street to express how much they value their local newspaper and appreciate what it means to the community. Usually they like to tell me that it’s the print edition they find most satisfying, but many acknowledge they also use the online edition to keep an eye on things as well.
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MAX JONES: News dynamics sometimes test an editor’s principles
It has been a long-standing policy at the Tribune-Star not to publish the names of crime victims
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MAX JONES: Got a question for Lugar-Mourdock debate? Submit it
Hoosier voters, especially those who choose a Republican ballot for the May 8 primary election, face a difficult decision this spring. Longtime U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar faces a spirited re-election challenge from state Treasurer Richard Mourdock for the GOP Senate nomination. The winner advances to a general election showdown in the fall with the presumed Democrat nominee, Rep. Joe Donnelly, and any third-party or independent candidates who qualify to run.
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MAX JONES: The sun never sets on Indiana’s time-zone debate
When Mitch Daniels aggressively pushed for Indiana to adopt daylight-saving time in his first term as governor, I admit I was not enthusiastic. The state, I figured, had found a way to handle its awkward time-zone geography by merely maintaining the time status quo while states around it changed their clocks twice a year. We peacefully coexisted with that strategy for a couple of decades.
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MAX JONES: It is amazing what an energized downtown can do
For those of us who’ve watched the inspired growth and development of downtown Indianapolis through the years, it’s hard to understand sometimes the amazement some express at what’s been created.
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MAX JONES: More changes and challenges, but we’re getting there
As a newspaper lands on your porch each day, or you grab it from a local vendor, the complex manufacturing process that goes into producing it is probably the furthest thing from your mind.
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MAX JONES: Arranging the pieces so it all makes sense
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MAX JONES: Community newspapers too valuable to go away
These days, rarely a week goes by without someone — a co-worker, a friend, a professional associate, an acquaintance, etc. — asking for my thoughts about the future of the newspaper industry.
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MAX JONES: 9/11 ‘moments’ still vivid 10 years later
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MAX JONES: Something special — courtesy of your newspaper
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MAX JONES: Ernie Pyle never ceases bringing pride to Indiana
Once again, Ernie Pyle has made me proud to be a journalist.
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MAX JONES: What do you know about that founding Declaration?
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MAX JONES: Ready, action! Video lets us tell even better stories
Those of you who make the Tribune-Star’s online edition part of your reading routine — and there are approximately 40,000 of you each week who do so — have been treated recently to an enhanced feature on our website.
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MAX JONES: Vigo County played active role in Civil War history
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MAX JONES: Local seminar to shed light on access
Transparency in public information is an important principle for the proper functioning of government at all levels. Vigilance is key in ensuring that public records and meetings remain open and accessible to citizens of our communities.
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MAX JONES: Readers benefit from new resource
The Tribune-Star’s primary mission is to report news and tell stories that are relevant to our large community of readers, helping them be better informed and more engaged citizens.
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MAX JONES: Farewell to Stephanie, for a while
The Tribune-Star and its legions of readers throughout the Wabash Valley were extremely fortunate six years ago to welcome back a native daughter.
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MAX JONES: Friends ready for next big step at Pyle historic site
The campaign to preserve the legacy of World War II journalist Ernie Pyle in his hometown of Dana passed a milestone last week. Indiana’s Natural Resources Commission voted to end the state’s involvement in the Pyle historic site and turn it over to the Friends of Ernie Pyle organization.
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Max Jones: Taking the pulse of community progress
Terre Haute and Vigo County have been in a period of vibrant change in recent years.
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MAX JONES: Printed newspaper will be here for years to come
Whenever I speak to groups or individuals around the community about the state of the newspaper industry, I often get confused looks when I say that newspaper readership is growing rapidly and has never been higher.
- More Max Jones Headlines
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MAX JONES: The American Newspaper: Changing? Yes. Dying? No way!
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