David Scott wrote:I guess I am just easily confused.
Either the paper endorses or it doesn't endorse. The last two posts contradict what was written earlier by the main founder of the paper. If people are just writing articles for submission, isn't there some type of approval process ?? If anyone can just write an article and submit it shouldn't there be some type of disclaimer that the opinion stated in the article is not necessarily the opinion of the editorial board ?? That is how most newspapers I have read do it - they either place the articles on an editorial page or separate themselves from opinion since newspapers are supposed to contain news articles which are based on fact. Maybe it all has to do with my lack of knowledge of the paper. Maybe it isn't meant to be a newspaper, but rather a community happenings and opinion. I honestly don't think I've ever read the paper and only puruse the website to update myself on local happenings. I don't come here for news but rather community happenings. I just didn't like the statement that we don't endorse when we obviously endorse.
David-
As has been mentioned, the Observer project has disclaimers all over the place. One on the front page of the paper reads, "Your Independent Source for Local News and Opinion."
Lots of voices equals no "party line."
There is an approval mechanism in place-the editor and publisher. However, the Observer is dedicated to publishing as much of what is submitted to the paper as is possible. That means there is no "editorial board."
The first two paragraphs of the Observer Mission Statement read, "The mission of the Lakewood Observer is to attract, articulate, and amplify civic intelligence and community good will in the city of Lakewood and beyond.
Our goal is to help Lakewood residents and neighbors learn as much as possible about the city. In its efforts to know Lakewood par excellence, the Lakewood Observer will illuminate the many facets of culture, arts, business, education, religion, and lifestyle this diverse city has to offer."
One basic way to both learn and illuminate is to allow people with a passion to share their knowledge and interests. It makes sense to the Observer advisers that people with direct knowledge of something write about it. I believe this conveys more information than having a disinterested third party filter information.
The paper is filled with articles written by volunteers. Each of their names is listed in each issue. Contributors vary from issue to issue. As a so-called adviser, I would never presume to speak for the paper because it is representative of many voices. Also, my main area of concern is not the paper, but the Deck.
I do not want to see "the paper" making endorsements for a variety of reasons. In the case of the school levy, we had a lightening strike where all of the advisers actually agreed on something, actually communicated with each other about the supporting that issue, and also felt that if we endorsed the issue as a group, it might carry more weight than our individual endorsements.
The Observer advisers are an independent bunch. Each of us agrees with the concept of publishing work from as many voices as wish to participate in the process. That's why we all contributed in getting this project started and that's why most of us spend way too much time volunteering to keep it running.
The Lakewood Observer is not like and was never meant to emulate a traditional newspaper. I think it's exciting that the paper has published writers from pre-teen to octogenarian. I think it's fantastic that people who have never written or published an article (or letter to the editor) can be columnists or contributors.
The Lakewood Observer is not the advisers' paper, it's the community's (volunteer writers') paper. It doesn't feel right (to me) for the advisers to say, "The Lakewood Observer endorses issue X" but I have no problem saying, "The Lakewood Observer advisers endorse issue X."
In this one case, each as well as all of us felt it important to (virtually) stand together to back the schools.
The advisers have not endorsed any other issue but the school levy.
