Clearly, this column is my opinion

I think news articles in this newspaper should not include reporter's opinions.

That's my opinion, a view grounded in my experience, expertise and knowledge of the Star's long-standing commitment to clearly identify opinion and analysis in the pages of this newspaper.

I am entitled to voice this opinion because, as public editor, I have the privilege of a regular column on the editorial page of the Toronto Star. Columnists at the Star, as at other Canadian newspapers, have wide latitude to express our views in a manner we see fit.

I expect you know this entire page is opinion. The editorials that run down the left side express the views of the newspaper itself. Opposite this page, the Letters page provides a forum for readers to express their opinions about the news. The Star's Comment page presents smart opinion and analysis by Star columnists and other contributors who shed light on important local, national and international debates.

A newspaper that aspires to be a leader in its community should indeed publish a variety of well-reasoned views solidly grounded in accurate facts. And increasingly, in today's digital environment in which news is more freely available than ever before, there's a strong argument to be made that news organizations can best serve citizens by providing much more intelligent analysis and informed opinion about the news. That's a critical question in the debate about the future of newspapers in the Internet era.

But sound journalistic practice still demands a clear distinction between news and opinion so that readers understand what is opinion and what is reporting in the newspaper. Articles that contain opinion or personal interpretation should always be clearly identified.

While the Star strives for this in the use of various design elements (such as a columnist's "logo") intended to denote opinion, my communications with readers tell me these devices are often inadequate for readers unschooled in our design shorthand. That's why the clearest way to tell readers that an article includes a writer's views is to label it as opinion.

In recent weeks, there has been some blurring of news and opinion in articles that have not been clearly labelled.

One example, pointed out by editor-in-chief Fred Kuntz in a memo to senior editors, was writer David Olive's April 20 article about the global food shortage.

Olive argues that tariffs have distorted world markets and resulted in lower food production and offers the view that "fundamental changes are imperative." He states, "there is no alternative" to the removal of tariffs, and concludes with his view that "the food-inflation crisis is an undisguised opportunity to make the world a more prosperous and thus safer place."

Kuntz told editors this article called for an opinion label. I agree.

I also questioned the presentation of national affairs writer Linda Diebel's April 19 Ideas section article about the dark side of Oprah Winfrey's "big give." Reading the piece at home on a Saturday morning, I puzzled over whether it was news or opinion and questioned whether readers would also be confused. The article's viewpoint is that there's no need for a Canadian version of Oprah's initiative to join philanthropy and the private sector. Diebel reports that not one contestant questioned the Dickensian conditions in American schools and concludes, "Seemed like the obvious question." She also offers her personal perspective of working as a U.S. correspondent and witnessing the "soul-destroying" impact of the erosion of public education and health care and states, "I don't want Canadians to go down that path any further than we already have."

Both of these articles were excellent pieces by veteran journalists who write with authoritative, strong voices. I know both did enough reporting to validly express these views. Readers were well served by these articles. But, they would have been better served had they been clearly labelled as opinion articles.

As Kuntz told editors, news, analysis and opinion are distinctly different approaches.

Each is valid, but, "we have to be upfront with opinion and label it as such. This is a matter of being transparent with readers, which speaks to our credibility as a newspaper."

That's the smart view of the editor-in chief. I think he's right.

publiced@thestar.ca