From the publisher: News, opinion, advertising are all different

This week seems like a good time to explain to readers the different roles of a newspaper. In particular, this newspaper.

Actually, any week would be a good time, as I am often reminded that many readers are confused at the different parts of a newspaper. How are news, opinion and advertising different? What are the rules for each?

And who decides which is what and when?

First and foremost, the Wrangell Sentinel is a newspaper. Which means we try to provide readers with news of the community, its residents, its government, and the businesses and organizations that serve the town.

Reporting the news means telling readers what happened last week, what is planned for next week, how it may affect them and their neighbors, the bad and good things that happen in life and, as best we can, why it’s happening in Wrangell.

Deciding which news stories to report each week often is a matter of which ones we know about and which ones we can find people to interview. If you don’t tell us about your organization’s news, we might not ever hear about it and never report on it for the Sentinel. Same for our phone calls and emails: If you don’t get back to us, we can’t gather the information needed for a news story.

We call because it’s our job at the Sentinel to verify the facts and ensure that news stories in the paper are fair and accurate.

It’s our job to write the stories, select which information to include, and decide the story’s importance to the community: Does it belong on Page 1 or Page 12. Those are all judgment calls, which we like to think we get right most of the time.

The rules are different for the opinions page in the Sentinel. That page is reserved for the publisher and readers to express their views, state their grievances and share their praise. Facts are important, and we will not print opinions that promote blatant falsehoods. But, generally, readers are free to spout off and advocate for their own opinions.

We will edit your letters to the editor for spelling, punctuation and readability, but we will not edit your opinions. This is your page, too.

Essentially, the Sentinel provides the page as a soapbox for readers to talk with their neighbors, as long as the people standing on the box do not abuse or attack their neighbors. Your opinions are your judgment, while we will judge if they step over the line. This isn’t Facebook, where most anything goes. We take the Sentinel’s responsibility seriously to promote respectful discussion, not mud-slinging.

One similarity with

Facebook, however, is that the Sentinel does not charge to print letters to the editor, just as it does not charge organizations for coverage in a news story.

Where we do charge is for advertising. Those are the ads you see spread throughout the Sentinel, in a box or other border, usually at the bottom of the pages, promoting a specific business or event.

If you want to tell us what to print, how it should look, how big to make the type, that’s an ad. If you want to promote your business, that’s an ad. If you want to publicize your event, and want big headlines and artwork and pictures, all wrapped up in a nice border, that’s an ad.

The paid ads serve two purposes: They promote your business or event, and they help support the newspaper. Both are good causes.

Whether you submit a news item, a letter to the editor, or an ad, we appreciate your interest in the newspaper and the community.