Oct 4, 2002 4 min read

I recently drove to Nashville to attend the National Conference of Editorial Writers convention. I know you are wondering why did she drive. I suppose it was because I wanted to visit a friend in Kentucky along the way, and I had this odd craving to sample West Virginia radio stations.

I tuned into one that said the music would be uninterrupted for the next 30 minutes. This is great I thought as a Bruce Springsteen song came on, followed by Eric Clapton and a Billy Vera that I hadn’t heard in years. Next came Randy Travis, followed by some other hillbilly tune I didn’t recognize but could go along with. But then the flow switched dramatically to rap. What is this? A wedding disc jockey attempting to please all crowds? I hurriedly hit the scan button before the polkas came on.

That has to be the strangest mix of music that I have ever listened to from one radio station. Listeners expect certain continuity from a selected radio station. There should be enough variety to keep from putting one to sleep or at the other extreme jarring one’s fillings. But all the songs generally fit into the same musical genre.

If only it were that easy for editorial pages. A core event of the NCEW convention is the critique session. This involves much time and effort beforehand as members of critique groups exchange pages to study, mark up and make suggestions. Undergoing intense scrutiny by one’s peers is both a humbling and learning experience. It’s where you earn praise for ideas that worked and gentle criticism of things that didn’t.

It helps to know the limitations of staffing and finances because those two resources as in any business drive the product. Not that they should ever be used as an excuse for inferior effort, but they must be taken into consideration.

In critiquing editorial pages one looks for balance as well. Whether the pages offer diverse viewpoints. The newspaper itself might lean far to the right or left or be centrist in philosophy but does it leave room for readers and columnists to express countering views?

An editorial writer for one of the papers in my group sent a background sheet that explained they were “unabashedly liberal.” She wasn’t kidding. There wasn’t even one moderate voice on their pages, but the newspaper is controlled by a liberal-minded owner (one of the few remaining papers that is not part of a chain) and he does not wish to spend his money printing opposing views.

It’s a throwback to the past when many American newspapers were founded to promote the owners’ political beliefs. As newspapers evolved, opinions – for the most part – were moved to opinion pages. The mix that is offered generally reflects the community.

Still it’s always a guessing game in selecting columnists. Since assuming this job in 1999 I’ve attempted to make these pages appeal to Herald-Standard readers by offering as much local commentary as can be pulled together. I sprinkle in a mix of syndicated columnists that I inherited through services that the newspaper already purchases. Sometimes I think we are like a radio station playing all rock or all country and that perhaps some rap might shake things up a bit.

There are many columnists out there who might be more appealing to readers. I thought it might be fun to ask.

While it is always a worthwhile experience to take part in critique sessions with folks who toil in the same field, I think it might also be worthwhile to let you, the readers, tell us what you like and what you don’t.

On Sunday, we plan to publish a poll asking you to tell us what you read on the editorial and opinion pages, what you skip and what you look forward to seeing each week. I’ll leave some space for you to write in what you would like to see more. If there are columnists you find interesting that we don’t publish and wish we would, now is the time to speak out.

Luanne Traud is the Herald-Standard’s editorial page editor. E-mail: ltraud@heraldstandard.com.