Let's start with a critical editorial fact that can be verified by Filene. Credit Union Times produces more news stories, more editorial pages, more content than any other credit union publication. As I am writing this, we are getting prepared for a mega issue that will be at a minimum, 124 pages. That means the small team of dedicated professionals you see on the masthead to the left have to work their butts off to put together that blockbuster issue in the span of a week. The deadline coincides with Memorial Day weekend, but our dedicated team will take time out from the holiday to produce the same high-quality publication readers see week in and week out.

I am not as familiar with the National Enquirer as Meyer may be, so I picked up the latest issue on my way into the office this morning. On the front cover there was this exclusive story: "How Ricki Lake Really Lost 127 lbs, Her Diet Secret Revealed!" Good for Ricki! This doesn't sound like a story one would find in Credit Union Times, however if it truly is exclusive, that's something we know about.

Readers and Meyer may not know that each week this publication has numerous exclusive stories. This gets to the heart of Credit Union Times. We honor all embargoes, and we work with sources to ensure we are not breaking any promises or leaking out the news prior to our exclusive agreement. It's called integrity and living up to your word. In the last issue as an example, two organizations timed their press releases to go out just after our deadline to ensure we had the exclusive story in print. This is something we do every issue, and our sources trust us to do it right. Not all publications honor embargoes and exclusive agreements, trust me. I can highlight a few recent examples, but why gossip? Does the National Enquirer honor its commitments? Maybe they do. I am not that familiar with the publication and I would hate to say something that was inaccurate.

Here is another headline from the National Enquirer that issue: "Barbara-Rosie Feud Rages On, Comic Thinks She Was Fired Because She's Fat." I can't recall any credit union personnel moves we've covered ever getting so personal! It does bring up another hallmark of Credit Union Times–our people coverage. I believe strongly in covering personnel moves, comings and goings, retirements, terminations, new hires, promotions. Ask anyone about the success of an organization, (I know Filene has done research on this.), and it's about leadership, it's about the people carrying out operational plans, it's about the employees in the trenches day in and day out, the leaders in the boardroom. People make credit unions go and that's why we cover more personnel moves than any other credit union publication.

Take the recent firing of Bob Walls from the New Jersey Credit Union League. I have never seen such a backlash from credit unions over a fired CEO. I have been getting anonymous letters, have had numerous off-the-record calls, etc. That brings up another great point about Credit Union Times. Readers would be shocked to know what we don't report! We could throw out so much scuttlebutt about the Walls story and many others that your head would spin, but if it's off-the-record it's off-the-record. If it's inappropriate or doesn't fit our mission, it doesn't make it. We recently reported that two directors of the New Jersey league have resigned their posts from the league over Walls. Is that gossip? No, it's a fact, and it is a telling part of the story. Readers can make their own judgments, we just report the facts. So if our unmatched personnel coverage makes us the National Enquirer, guilty as charged.

The National Enquirer does have a "Gossip" column with Mike Walker as the gossiper. Credit Union Times also has opinion pages. The column you're reading being one of them. Walker gossiped about Yoko Ono spitting food into a flight attendant's hand and Paris Hilton demolishing a $5,000 vase after learning her traffic violations could take her to jail. I don't think I was ever so personal. I do provide my opinions on credit union news and events. My goal is always to get credit union leaders thinking. Of course, anything in this column is just one man's opinion and does not influence editorial coverage.

Continuing with opinion pieces, we do publish many so-called controversial letters to the editor. Some of them our readers don't like, such as the latest from Marv Umholtz or from charter conversion advocates. We have been accused of giving these people too much ink. Again, as Marv and others would attest, many, many things they send in don't make it to print, but I do believe it is our duty to present opposing views. Credit unions can't bury their heads in the sand and hope things like hostile takeovers go away. Opposing, even hostile views, give credit unions an idea of what they're up against. Ironically, I was just offered a slew of anonymous letters (though I could verify the sources) that would highlight why some credit union leaders are considering converting their charters. I shot it down because if they are not willing to stand up and be counted, we don't want it. So are our opinion pages worthy of National Enquirer status? Not at all.

Here were the headlines from our front page last week: "States Moving Forward in Confronting Card Breaches", "Credit Unions Can Make Mortgage In-Roads, Have to Change Consumers' Views", "Rift Between Federal and Private Deposit Insurance Emerges in Washington State", "Capitol Hill Briefing Exposes Staffers to Strongly Held Views on Conversions", "Eastman CU Helps Launch Hometown into Wireless Era", "Wisconsin CUs to Launch brass|STUDENT PROGRAM in Fall." Not much National Enquirer-like fodder here. These are factual, objective credit union news stories–that's what Credit Union Times is all about.

As for the National Enquirer, it has scooped the mainstream press in recent years in breaking some legitimate news stories, so maybe the comment wasn't all bad.

(Editor's Note: At press time, Mark Meyer did contact me to apologize for the comment, which I of course accept. I commend him for acknowledging that as the leader of a well-established credit union organization, his words have meaning. He said he was trying to make the point that credit union leaders sometimes get too caught up in industry news and politics, and need to look outside the industry to see what's happening elsewhere. I agree with that point, but he could have advised attendees not to just rely on Credit Union Times, the Wall Street Journal of the industry!)