Editors shouldn't opine

<p>Ever wonder why front-of-the-book columns by most publication editors, including nearly every credit union publication, are devoted primarily to what’s in that particular issue? Most such columns are sort of a verbal table of contents that emphasize what articles readers should especially look for in the following pages and why. Frankly, there’s not much else editors can write about in a regular column. By the very nature of what they do, they can’t (shouldn’t) use that space to give their personal opinions on timely topics, issues of the day, or a current industry controversy. It’s pretty simple. Editors oversee a publication’s editorial staff. Just like the reporters who report to them, editors need to be completely objective and unbiased. Especially if the publication they edit is to have any credibility with its readers. If editors routinely took a stand on issues covered by their publication, it would most certainly call into question their objectivity if they also wrote a supposedly unbiased news story on that same subject. The weekly publisher’s column (see above) in Credit Union Times doesn’t have that problem. It is not written by the editor, but by the publisher, someone who does not make day-to-day editorial decisions regarding the news product. The publisher’s strong opinions on a potpourri of subjects is in no way ever reflected on the news pages of Credit Union Times. This structure is different from any other credit union publication. It is just part of what makes Credit Union Times unique. [email protected]</p>