Writing Free Press editorials since 1996, I have figured roughly that I have penned more than 1,000 such "voice of the newspaper" opinions. Is it any wonder, I sometimes ask myself: Haven't I written about this subject before? Haven't I written this opinion before?
That voice has evolved over the years, depending on the makeup of the editorial board. The opinions expressed under "Our View" label are theoretically a consensus opinion of the editorial board. That board is made up of myself, Publisher Jim Santori, night news editor Doug Wolter, day news editor Kathy Vos and longtime reporter and editor/columnist Tim Krohn. We've asked two community members, of opposite political stripes, to give us more frequent feedback on our editorials.
A decade ago, we had a different editor and a different publisher. Both had views that were somewhat different than those of the current board. I would say the general viewpoint has become more "conservative or progressive" over the last 10 years. Progressive meaning more in favor of pushing programs that aid economic growth. Conservative meaning more cautious about automatically accepting government as the answer to everything.
Our editorial credo has been centered around certain themes: Fiscal responsibility, freedom of expression, religion and freedom from intrusive government: government has a role to play in the health and safety of the population (our view on how much goes back and forth); investments in education are wise for the most part and promote economic growth; the best government is the one that is most open.
Our themes are sure to evolve over the next 10 years. The world is changing fast. We will be inviting more input from our readers and the community at large to help us form our editorial credos. Look for more in this space and in the print edition in future postings.
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