The famous tagline of The New York Times is "All the news that's fit to print." I think in some manner all news outlets have a similar motto. But what does it mean to be fit to print? There is a lot of news out there that doesn't make it onto our websites or into our printed editions. And how we make decisions on what not to publish matters almost as much as what we do publish.
Certainly on social media, there is often no such filter. Some people post rumor, speculation and items of questionable sourcing with little concern. We have to believe a news item is in the public interest to publish it. And to be sure, there is often news that appears on social media that doesn't make the cut for us. Salacious stories, sometimes called clickbait, while they might spark interest in some quarters, are not what we traffic in.
But, you might say, if people are talking about something, doesn't that make it news? It might. That's where news judgment comes in. Our reporters and editors work every day to decide what to cover and what to post with our audience in mind. What stories will matter most to you? What is news that you need to know? What are the important conversations we need to have in our society?
That all might sound a little stodgy in the anything goes digital age, but we like to believe it sets us apart from all the other content out there. We want to be the trusted source amid a sea of information you have access to. We know some people like their news unfiltered, but that can make it hard to know what's accurate. We aim to help you cut through the noise.
Turning to our inbox, I can report that in the week from July 16-23, we received 56 letters. Concerns about voting and voter fraud were at the top of our readers' minds. We received six letters on the topic, likely due to President Donald Trump raising the issue in a prime-time address. Then there were a number of topics that drew two letters, including the fight between the state and the city of New Orleans, how Louisiana executes prisoners and public safety in New Orleans. I was also happy to see a letter about our series about the warming Gulf. We hope it generates more responses in the future.
Arnessa Garrett is managing editor for Opinions. Email her at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com