Aug012009
Maybe we’re not so ‘far right’ after all
Filed under Uncategorized by nick pappas at 1:33 pm
When I reached out to you for some feedback a few weeks ago with my “When did we become a right-wing newspaper?” column, there were a number of things that I was hoping to hear.
I was hoping to hear that, by and large, we were presenting a broad range of opinions through our selection of op-ed columns, guest commentaries, letters to the editor and editorial cartoons.
I was hoping to hear some specific observations on our stable of op-ed columnists – either pro or con – particularly Froma Harrop, Cal Thomas and Gene Lyons.
And I was hoping to hear that not everyone shared the opinion of the reader who started this process with the observation that “the only difference I find between the Telegraph and Union Leader is the website is easier to browse.”
For the most part, that’s what I did hear. Among the more than two-dozen readers who responded by e-mail or online comment to my column or blog, a solid majority felt our Opinion page fell either near the center or somewhere left of center. Less than a handful placed us on the right-hand side of the ideological spectrum.
Or, in the words of self-described conservative Bill Chisolm, of Nashua: “As (a) long time reader for the Telegraph, I’ve felt that the editorial page tended to lean a bit left, but never obnoxiously so.”
That doesn’t mean there weren’t any surprises – or disappointments. No doubt the biggest was that the column prompted a Nashua couple who had subscribed to The Telegraph “for more than thirty years now” to cancel their subscription because of our “mostly Right Wing point of view.”
Now after more than 30 years in this business, you would think that wouldn’t be such a big deal. Well, think again. Being told by a reader that he or she is canceling the paper because of something you did – or didn’t do – is like being turned down for the senior prom.
Still, what the reader said he really wants – “an overtly-leftist editorial policy” – runs counter to our goal of presenting a diverse selection of opinion to all of our readers, so that’s not really an option.
Otherwise, here is a sampling of what some of you had to say – the good, the bad and the ugly.
“Kudos to the Telegraph. The editorial staff may be bit more liberal than I, but the paper’s presentation DOES reflect a diverse range of opinion,” wrote William Doll, of Amherst.
“I appreciate the efforts of the Telegraph to present opposing points of view and I do indeed read them. While I do not always agree with your editorial, I find the reasons given for the position taken plausible,” said Ed Graves, of Nashua.
“Your comments about how the Telegraph is perceived was interesting, and the selection of op-ed contributors is reasonably balanced with one exception,” wrote Henry Perras, of Amherst. “Gene Lyons is not a columnist, only a spewer of venomous ridicule. His column is best suited for the Philadelphia Inquirer, not the Nashua Telegraph.”
“IMHO the NT is so left-leaning I am surprised that it has not fallen into the Pacific Ocean by now,” honestjohn replied on The Editor’s Blog.
“I have no problem with the selections of your guest editorials,” wrote mjhealey. “It’s the unsigned, opinion of the paper, editorial that seems to miss that mark most of the time.”
Lastly, my personal favorite from Jefferson1776: “Not to worry, Nick. You are still safely considered a ‘liberal rag’ around here.”
There also were a few common themes that came up in your responses:
– Can’t we find someone other than Cal Thomas to represent the conservative point of view? (Or, if not, can’t you just get rid of him anyway?)
– Our regular syndicated op-ed writers are in need of a major upgrade. Among the replacement names mentioned were David Brooks, Kathleen Parker, Mark Steyn and George Will.
– We need another writer to better balance the conservative voices of our local Sunday columnists, John Bachman and Joe Konopka.
Given those observations, it might be worth revisiting the topic of our syndicated and local writers in a future column. In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts with me on your favorite op-ed writers.
Nick Pappas is editorial page editor at The Telegraph. He can be reached at 594-6505 or npappas@nashuatelegraph.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at TelegraphEdit.
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