A common misconception about newspapers in general and the Crestview News Bulletin in particular is that if we publish an opinion on our opinion page, it means the paper endorses that opinion.

That’s rarely the case, even if the opinion is from a CNB staff member. The goal of the opinion page is to present as wide an array of views as possible. Pretty much the only restrictions are that you can’t advocate a crime, you can’t advertise and you can’t lie.

For a while we stuck a “this opinion is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Crestview News Bulletin” disclaimer in front of every column. I stopped doing so, not because the columns now do represent the opinion of the Crestview News Bulletin, but because I felt stupid putting the same disclaimer in front of every column.

What would be a better way to get that point across? Post the disclaimer in the middle of the page each week? Post it on every story? Don’t post it at all?

Let’s hear your thoughts.

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