From the editor: Opinion content changes designed to encourage constructive conversation
Starting today, the New Bern Sun Journal is changing how it approaches opinion and editorial content. We will no longer publish a daily Viewpoints page with syndicated content. Instead, we’ll publish a page once a week that provides a variety of views on state, local and national issues.
Research shows that most Americans are increasingly fatigued by the divisiveness of opinion content, and they see social media as a toxic zone. We know you don’t want journalists to lecture you or to tell you what to think.
The New Bern Sun Journal is a credible and trusted source that you can rely on. We want to make sure that continues and that we’re driving productive dialogue on important issues in our community.
We believe this change will encourage conversation and produce a smarter, sharper, more constructive discussion.
The new approach will start this Sunday, with a weekly Viewpoints page in the print newspaper. On that page, we plan to continue publishing pieces from North Carolina columnists John Hood and Tom Campbell.
John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His latest books, Mountain Folk and Forest Folk, combine epic fantasy with early American history.
Tom Campbell is a Hall of Fame North Carolina Broadcaster and columnist who has covered North Carolina public policy issues since 1965. He recently retired from writing, producing and moderating the statewide half-hour TV program NC SPIN that aired 22 ½ years.
We will also seek guest columns on local issues from community members. We will select columns that offer a unique perspective and don’t rely on tired talking points. Our goal is to increase readers’ understanding of local issues.
We will also pull in state or national editorials that offer relevance to our readers’ lives.
Along those lines, the Sun Journal will no longer publish letters to the editor. Over the past few years, the Sun Journal has received fewer and fewer letters. And many of them fail to offer unique perspectives and most do not focus on local issues. In light of this and the fact that readers can so easily share their thoughts on individual stories via social media, we believe it is time to stop publishing letters.
Community leaders who are interested in submitting a guest column on a local issue can reach out to me directly at sjones1@gannett.com. Opinion columns typically run 400 to 500 words. Please include a short biography, two sentences at most, and a headshot photo to run with your column. If you or a business, trade group or other institution with which you are associated stands to gain financially or in any other way from your column, you should disclose that information to us in detail.
I hope you appreciate these changes and see that they are designed to encourage a healthy discourse. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at sjones1@gannett.com.
Sherry Jones is the NC East Group executive editor for the USA Today Network.
This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: Sun Journal editor explains changes to opinion content
