Reading N & R Editorial Wizards' Minds

Some readers have claimed for years that they could read the minds of the News & Record's editorial writers.

Increasingly, there's probably some validity to that claim.

The editorial board's Old-School Philosophy was: "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."

The board's New-Age Philosophy involves ripping down that curtain.

How?

Well, one editorial writer has been sharing his thoughts out loud.

Another's been sharing his off the record.

More recently, we've even been invited to pull up a chair to the Editorial Board's Table:

"The purpose of this blog is to give you a look at how we work, let you know what we're working on, and ask for your input. We'll give you a chance to comment on our editorials before we write them -- which means your views can influence our final product."

It's been interesting so far, finding out what subjects are being considered and then being able to read the board's final written thoughts on those subjects.

To date, only a few comments have been posted on the "Your Voice at the Table" blog.

As awareness increases, hopefully more people will choose to show up at the table and make their views known.

After some recent discussion of this topic, I appreciated finding out that the editorial board plans to begin writing this week about Greensboro's mayoral race.

A few suggestions for the editorial board's new blog:

1) Add the "Your Voice at the Table" blog to We101. That'll help with advertising. And it will let We101 visitors know when new posts have been made.

2) Describe the legwork that goes into writing an editorial. It'd be interesting to read an occasional step-by-step glimpse at the entire editorial-writing process.

In no particular order, these are some questions I'd be curious to have addressed in the future:

• Who does the editorial writer contact (or try to contact) for more information about the subject?
• How much do interviews help in developing editorials?
• What other research tools are used to develop an editorial?
• What new information is learned, and how does that affect the final editorial on the subject?
• What questions do board members ask one another?
• Are minds ever changed?
• Do board members take turns as devil's advocates?
• Does only one individual ultimately write each editorial, or are there ever any joint ventures?
• Once a writer is assigned to write an editorial, are other writers involved with researching or writing an editorial?
• Once an editorial is written, do other board members help proof and edit?
• Does research ever lead to a changed editorial stance, mid-way through the process?
• What determines who will write each editorial?

Not everyone will be interested in all of these issues, but some people will be.

Some details about what goes on behind the Wizard's curtain have already been revealed on this blog.

3) During this early period, continue using "Thinking Out Loud" and "Off the Record" some to draw those blogs' readers to "Your Voice at the Table."

4) Keep posting! (Thanks for adding this blog. It was a great idea to do so!)