It’s top and center on the Great Bend Tribune's fourth page: Opinion. And right above this column in the paper is the word “Viewpoint.” And my name is there, too.
Someone’s name is attached to every piece that goes on this page. There’s a reason for that.
The opinions expressed on Page 4 of every issue of the Great Bend Tribune are not the opinion of “The Tribune.” They are the opinions of the authors and those authors have to tell you who they are.
Some newspapers have an editorial board that determines their official position. They may endorse a political candidate or encourage people to vote a certain way. In an article on how the New York Times editorial board works, we’re told the board does not speak for the newsroom nor expect that newsroom staff feel the same way about a particular issue.
Believe me, the staff here don’t share the same beliefs about anything.
The Great Bend Tribune is not the New York Times.
We usually have one person affiliated with the paper write the “Viewpoint” for each issue. The rest of the page is devoted to columns with various points of view and – what we really like to see – letters from our readers. We have some guidelines. As the person who decides what will go on this page, enforcing the guidelines falls to me. I don’t usually accept letters from other states (or even from people six counties away) if they aren’t former area residents and perhaps have never had a connection to the Golden Belt. These are the people (or committees, or maybe AI programs) that send the same message out across the nation hoping some newspapers will pick up their “letters” and publish them.
One group has tried to send letters under three different names, each using a Great Bend address.
We do ask letter writers to include a phone number. I picked up a phone a few weeks back and asked to speak to this “resident.” “Yes,” he said, “I have lived in Great Bend for about three years.” When I asked where he works, he said he was retired.
But after a bit of checking, I found his letter to the editor printed in three different newspapers, with him claiming to be a resident in three different communities. And his telephone number was the same number used by another letter writer who had similar views.
Back to the real people at the Tribune and our real opinions. Those opinions belong on this page. As for the other pages in this paper, reporters do their best not to express any personal opinion.
If I write that most adults should get an annual flu shot to protect themselves and the community, I can put it on this page with no explanation.
If I write the same thing on another page, I need to add who is saying that – and it better not be me! I can tell you the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Medical Association and the Mayo Clinic recommend an annual flu shot. You, the reader, can take issue with any article, and you can consider the source. You might think I’m biased (who isn’t, to some degree?) and you might do your own research and conclude there is a source you trust more.
The fact is, I don’t agree with the viewpoint of every person I report on. I do not believe the claims made by certain individuals I interview. I don’t have to tell the reader if I agree or disagree. In a news story, I won’t tell the readers what I think, or how they should think.
On this page, I can tell you my opinion. And it is my opinion that more of you should take time to write a letter to the editor that we can publish on this page – but only if you’re a real person. I won’t tell you what I think about the fake Great Bend residents – we don’t allow profanity on this page.
Susan Thacker is managing editor of the Great Bend Tribune. Send email to sthacker@gbtribune.com.
