Changes coming to Times-Union’s editorial pages
More people continue to get their news online, including on Jacksonville.com, but it’s often not the material we share from our opinion pages that gets the most interest.
We’ve found that fewer people are submitting letters to the editor and guest columns in recent years.
That’s leaving us often scrambling to fill seven days of editorial pages with columns from other newspapers. We have found it’s not the best use of our very limited resources.
We also no longer have access to syndicated content, though we had stopped running many syndicated columns years ago. But it does mean we're losing syndicated cartoons. This has all made us rethink our editorial pages.
Beginning this week, we’re reducing to two the number of days we print editorial/opinion pages. We’re going to prioritize printing only local letters and guest columns written by people who live here in Northeast Florida and that are about local issues or state and national issues that affect our communities.
Based on the number of local letters and columns we receive most weeks, we believe that they will fit in our Saturday and Sunday editorial pages and in our Sunday Reason section.
To be clear, we aren’t giving up on publishing letters and columns written by local residents, business owners and leaders.
We appreciate that people care enough to send us their thoughts about local issues for possible publication. In fact, we would like more of those.
More: How to submit a letter to the editor of the Florida Times-Union
More: How to best experience the Times-Union/Jacksonville.com app
Our company’s research shows that most readers are buying its local newspapers, including the Times-Union, mostly for local news, local sports and local columnists.
While we know this is a time when Americans are divided politically, we also believe that reasoned, respectful conversations in letters and guest columns about issues affecting our community are important. That includes having experts — including those at local nonprofits, universities, hospitals and businesses — adding context to local and state issues.
If you’re missing some of the great columns we’ve been publishing in print from other Gannett papers in Florida, you can still read those newspapers’ e-edition, opinion pages and all, through the Times-Union’s e-edition.
What we will continue to focus on here is what you won’t find in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal or other national publications. That’s coverage of what’s happening at City Hall, what new restaurants are coming to the area, local high school athletes, the latest on the housing market and other issues important here in Northeast Florida.
Opinion and Engagement Editor Marcia Pledger will still write editorials and columns about local issues. And now when she writes editorials, we’ll include her byline on those in an effort to increase our transparency with you. We will also include a note when I or others help with an editorial.
Marcia will also continue hosting community events of our own and participating in other groups’ events. In fact, if local civic organizations, universities and other groups have meetings or events they’d like to have Marcia moderate or speak, she can be reached at mpledger@jacksonville.com.
What is most important to know about this latest change — and yes, it’s not lost on me that we’re constantly changing things in our industry — is we will continue to run letters to the editor so you can weigh in on important local and state issues that impact us locally.
We’ll also continue to select diverse opinions about varying topics from different readers.
You, our readers, will continue to have a voice in the Times-Union.
Mary Kelli Palka, a native of Jacksonville Beach, is the executive editor of Times-Union.
Our letters policy: Letters of about 200 words are preferred. All letters are edited for space, clarity and newspaper style. Include a name, address, phone number and occupation. Email: letters@jacksonville.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Changes, including reduced days, coming to Times-Union editorial pages
