Press asked to apologize for opinion

I received the following email from a reader just a little bit ago. It's the kind of email newspaper editors receive on a regular basis and, in this case, provides an opportunity not just for debate, but for some defining.

Here's the email and my response. - Mike Patrick, editor

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Dear Mike,

The City of Cda Mayor and Council Members actively promote their political agenda by hiring the following group [Winding Creek Group] during the last local elections.

Do you think you owe an apology to our communtiy by being so one-sided in your article printed Wed. 9/14/2011?

Please respond.

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Thanks for passing along this information and your opinion. What I wrote is not an article; it's an editorial. Articles are news stories that are as objective as humans can make them. Editorials in American newspapers have, since Ben Franklin's time, taken one-sided views in expressing opinions. I don't expect Reagan Republicans to apologize for expressing their views, nor do I have any intention of apologizing for mine. Ultimately, the community will benefit from openly expressing opinions on this and many other issues.

Respectfully,

Mike