Welcome back new and returning readers! As the school year begins, the Northern Star Editorial Board wanted to explain what content you can expect from the board this semester.
WHAT’S AN EDITORIAL ANYWAY?
An editorial is an opinionated story written by a news publication’s editorial board. Editorial boards are often composed of a publication’s senior editing and management teams.
“(Editorial board members) meet to discuss and, you know, show the pros and cons and analyze and hash out exactly what a news media organization’s opinion is before the opinion is published,” said Jason Akst, an NIU instructor of journalism and public relations. “The thinking is an editorial board is a mechanism to help, to help the news media organization make sure that they have thought out the ramifications of what they are about to claim.”
For some readers, it might feel strange to read an opinionated story written by a news publication’s editors.
Journalists strive to address both sides of every issue and remain as objective as possible. The Northern Star is subsequently dedicated to maintaining the journalistic values of transparency and independence, as outlined by the Society of Professional Journalists.
But editorials allow news media to analyze verified information and produce an argument the editorial board believes is worth readers’ consideration.
It’s important for readers to understand that editorials are stories emphasizing a specific message or argument, and Akst worries the journalism industry hasn’t succeeded in communicating editorials’ purpose.
“We as journalists have kind of failed the public in not doing a better job in explaining what they (editorial boards) are and who serves on them and so forth,” Akst said. “But I think it would be nice if, regardless of the medium – print, digital, broadcast, whatever – that journalists would, would take a little more time and a little more space to explain what an editorial board is and how it functions.”
To help convey that editorials are opinionated, the Northern Star publishes all editorials in the opinion section of its website.
THE NORTHERN STAR EDITORIAL BOARD
At the Northern Star, our editorial board includes representation from each of our sections, including: the editor-in-chief, managing editor, sports editor, lifestyle editor, photo editor, video editor and opinion editor.
The news editor is also a member of the editorial board and involved in discussion, although they do not contribute to writing editorials. Any editor with a potential conflict of interest is also removed from editorial writing.
This semester, we will compose editorials when we feel commentary is appropriate, specifically taking student needs and interests into consideration.
WORTH THE READ?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Northern Star Editorial Board would love for readers to indulge in our editorials; however, we’d also encourage readers to peruse editorials composed by other news organizations.
As the United States heads toward a politically intense election season, news consumers should expect journalists across the nation to contribute to civic discussion.
Don’t dismiss editorials for reminding the world that editors, too, have opinions. Instead, we hope you’ll view editorials as a way to jumpstart your own important conversations.
