Opinion vs. Fact: the Miami Herald asks how to tell the difference

There is a wide scope for creativity and opinion for 'news columnists', and many of them write both feature articles and opinion-based columns.  There are few rules.  This can lead to bias, a slant on news items that is not always entirely factual.  This is particularly a problem, the author continues, when editors decide to allow a story to run only in the news columns, and not as a feature article.  At this point, Schumacher-Matos believes the columnist should clearly state that the article could contain an amount of bias.

However, he also believes that the importance of news columnists is increased by the regularity with which other, unedited sources such as Twitter report the news.  Readers need columnists to collate the masses of information available, to analyze and to explain.  The solution lies with the editors.  Columns should not be so strictly edited that none of their individualism remains, but nor should they be so saturated with bias that it is hard to distinguish the facts.  Or indeed presented as fact to begin with.

Besides the location of the columns within newspapers, the range of opinion available can be equally deceptive.  A study published last year discovered that the vast majority of columnists tend to agree with their editorial pages.  Furthermore, columnists within a paper rarely span the political spectrum - there is a gaping hole where a conservative columnist at the Miami Herald would sit, Edward Schumacher-Matos notices.  Conversely, the Washington Times has just added three new columnists to gain a more 'distinctive and authoritative approach', although President Tom McDevitt insisted that their 'conservative outlook is one thing that will not change.'

He concludes, finally, that the opinion columnists should stay where they are, in the news pages, as very real and important parts of today's newspaper industry.  But there is a very fine line to tread between balanced yet opinionated reporting, and speculative story telling - and it appears to be a question of effective editing.

Source: Miami Herald